I strongly oppose this proposal due to concerns for patient safety in Virginia. Training to use lasers for eye treatments requires extensive time and proctoring, and practicing on a plastic eye model is severely inadequate. Optometrists also do not have adequate experience with ocular procedures, nor surgeries. Allowing laser treatments without this experience puts patients at very high risk for complications, including those which could cause permanent vision loss. Only ophthalmologists (eye surgeons who are trained in medical school and ophthalmology residency over 7+ years) should be permitted to perform such laser treatments.