VA ends optometrist eye surgery option

The supervision requirement proves to be a sticking point.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. Jan. 17, 2005.

Only ophthalmologists will be doing eye surgery at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs medical centers now that the VA has ended a controversial policy letting optometrists do certain laser procedures under the supervision of an ophthalmologist.

"Our nation's veterans deserve the best care possible, and now they can be assured that surgical eye care in VA hospitals meets the rest of the nation's high standard of care," said American Medical Association President John C. Nelson, MD, MPH.

H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD, executive vice president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, agreed. "Ophthalmologists have the medical education and surgical training necessary for the safe performance of invasive surgical eye procedures," he said. "Patient safety triumphed because medical and veterans' organizations took action -- they contacted the VA and involved their congressional representatives in order to help protect our veterans."

The issue arose after Oklahoma authorized optometrists to perform certain laser procedures. Under VA policy, health care professionals can function within the full scope of their state license anywhere in the VA system. When a Kansas facility gave an Oklahoma-licensed optometrist the OK to do laser surgeries, organized medicine responded and the VA added the requirement that optometrists performing these procedures must be supervised by an ophthalmologist. No laser surgeries were ever actually performed by VA optometrists.