• Support draft regulations as presented without any changes
• Optometry education and training supports the regulation requirements of 2 proctored sessions per procedure

• 12 states include in-office laser procedures by optometrists
• More than 146,000 procedures have been performed by optometrists across the country
• in-office lasers have been performed by optometrists since the 1990s 

• Optometrists train for nearly 10,000 hours to learn how to diagnose and treat glaucoma, cataracts and other diseases.
  It’s not uncommon for medical professionals, including optometrists, to participate in continuing education programs to
  enhance their profession and scope of work. While more is involved than a “weekend course,” when these common laser
  procedures are combined with other training, they are a part of the overall eye care services provided by optometrists.

•  Virginia has almost 2X more optometrists than ophthalmologists, making access to these procedures less burdensome to the
  working poor.

• All optometrists must be certified in laser procedures before performing them on patients. To be certified, they must have
  extensive clinical experience, complete hands-on training and pass a national certification exam.