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Members of the senate came head to head yesterday (February 23rd) over a new bill that would change the face of
laser eye surgery in the country.
Supporters and detractors both voiced their opinions on the new medical legislation that would allow optometrists to carry out
laser eye surgery – even though they are not qualified surgeons.
Under the new legislation, eye care specialists would have to undergo training before they could carry out the procedure.
Dr Stephen Powell, an ophthalmologist who opposes the legislation, said: "These lasers do three things. They cut, burn and vaporize. That's what happens to the tissue in the eye. And once you've done it, you can't go backwards."
Unless the legislation is ratified by the senate, only ophthalmologists in Oklahoma will be able to conduct the procedures.
Proponents of the bill claim that it would make
laser eye surgery more readily available to those in need of it.
"There's no reason a patient in rural West Virginia should have to go 40 to 50 miles and wait days or weeks to see an ophthalmologist when it's a minor procedure his optometrist can do," said Chad Robinson, executive director of the West Virginia Optometric Association.
However, there are a number of concerns surrounding the use of
laser eye surgery for the treatment of conditions such as short sightedness.
This include the risk of irreversible damage to a person's vision, including something called the halo effect, which makes people see brightly coloured rings around sources of light.
An effective alternative to
laser eye surgery is the Ortho K lens, which boasts similar benefits to surgery but none of the associated risks.
Ortho K lenses are worn overnight and gently reshape the eye, restoring vision.
The following day Ortho K lens users do not have to wear glasses or other kinds of corrective lenses in order to see properly.
Written by Nick Howard
