By David Schmoll
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-954648.mp3
Murray, KY – The biggest part of the debate circled around one issue: are optometrists qualified to perform surgical procedures. Ophthalmologists like Murray's Dr. David Bryson speaks out strongly against the bill, saying it compromises safety for convenience. Optometrists like Benton's Dr. Joe Ellis, says they are qualified and trained to perform the procedures outlined in the bill.
"One of the big areas of training in optometry is, in fact, the use of lasers; the use of optics and laser light."
Dr. Bryson questions this view. He says he's had patients come in with referrals for surgery from optometrists but the surgery recommended, he believes, would cause more damage to the eye than necessary. The ability to diagnose and correct comes from his schooling for ophthalmology.
"We spend a lot of time learning about disease processes, how they can interact with the eye, how that can interact with medical conditions and learning to treat those diseases with medications and with surgery."
One procedure both Dr. Bryson and Dr. Ellis discuss specifically includes cleanup after cataract surgery. The law allows optometrists to perform these procedures. However, Dr. Bryson isn't so sure that even the most simple of surgical procedures in his field should be put in the hands of optometrists.
"Sure, the technique for that is not very hard to learn, but that alone does not alone always fix patients problems after cataract surgery," he says. "They may have other problems that need to be addressed and it not be that the laser needed to be done at all."
Dr. Ellis isn't necessarily concerned about this issue, rather he finds solace in the Kentucky Board of Medical Examiners.
"When new therapies come up today in health care, there's not actually any type of competency and training forced in these new procedures," he claims. "But this law will specifically mandate that the Kentucky Board of Medical Examiners will, in fact, make sure that anyone wanting to do these new procedures for them will have to show competency."
But Bryson sees this more as a problem than a solution. He believes reforms to medicine should come through the legislature, not through an unsupervised medical board. Bryson also suggests if this a good move for Kentucky, why haven't more states adopted this idea? Similar bills have been introduced and failed in other states including New Mexico and Florida, but have passed in Oklahoma and West Virginia.
"This bill goes a lot further than the Oklahoma bill does," he says. "We don't think of Oklahoma as a jewel in the crown of health care. It's not where Mayo is or things like that."
Oklahoma's law allows for the same types of procedures to be performed by optometrists as the bill just passed for Kentucky. Dr. Clay McLaughlin is the president of the Oklahoma's Board of Examiners in Optometry. Their website allows for patients to leave complaints or discuss any problems they may have had with optometrists.
"As the President of the Board of Examiners we have not once had one adverse report since optometrists have been able to use lasers, ever."
Dr. McLaughlin explains when the law went into effect, the state and schools worked and modified their programs to expand their programs to include laser surgery.
"Every optometrist that's trained at the optometry school in Oklahoma is trained on lasers and does laser procedures during their school years and most of them take residency and do laser procedures during their residency."
McLaughlin says the school attracts students from all over the South and Midwest, including future optometrists in Kentucky. As for ophthalmologists President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Richard L. Abbott, MD issued a statement Thursday, in response to the new Kentucky Law. Along with voicing his disdain he urged Kentucky lawmakers to take another look at the bill.
For WKMS News, I'm David Schmoll