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Doctors of Optometry: Meeting America’s Eye Needs. America’s Eye Needs are Increasing. Glaucoma affects 2.2. million Americans, half of whom don’t know they have it. More than 20 million Americans age 40 and older suffer from cataracts.
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America’s Eye Needs are Increasing • Glaucoma affects 2.2. million Americans, half of whom don’t know they have it. • More than 20 million Americans age 40 and older suffer from cataracts. • Over the next decade, these numbers are expected to rise dramatically.
Expanding Optometry • America’s eye doctors have all the skills, training and education necessary to diagnose and solve many of the eye-related issues that they are currently prohibited from addressing. • We just need state laws to reflect their breadth of knowledge and experience.
A Muddled Patchwork of State Laws • Laws vary from state and state, which means eye care coverage does as well. • These laws are unnecessarily preventing optometrists from fully caring for their patients. • There’s no reason why a doctor of optometry can prescribe certain drugs and conduct minor surgical procedures in one state but not others.
Updating State Laws to Expand the Scope of Optometry • State laws should be updated to reflect optometrists’ extensive training, education, and experience • Expanding optometrists’ services would allow ophthalmologists to focus on the specialized care and more advanced surgeries that they are more suited to provide.
America’s Eye Doctors are Ready to Help • There are already more than 36,000 doctors of optometry serving the eye care needs in nearly 6,500 communities nationwide • They are the primary eye care provider for two-thirds of the country, playing an especially critical role to patients in rural areas. • Expanding their scope of work will only help more Americans get the quality eye care they need.
Extensive Education • Optometrists have more professional training in eye care and treatment than attorneys or judges have in the study of law. They must: • Complete their undergraduate education at a college or university • Attend four years of optometry school • Pass a state licensing exam Before they are able to enter their field professionally.
Ongoing Training and Skills Development • Doctors of Optometry participate in extensive, ongoing training in the latest treatments and technological advancements. • This ensures that they are able to deliver the highest-quality eye care utilizing the most recent medical and scientific developments available.
Familiarity is Key • Optometrists have already developed a trusted doctor-patient relationship. They understand their patients’ eye health and medical histories better than anyone else. • They are often able to recognize critical health issues—such as diabetes and hypertension—during a routine eye exam, helping save lives as well as vision. • They are more than just the most trusted eye care professionals. They are a part of our communities.
See Clearly, America • Doctors of optometry are fully qualified and able to provide the quality eye care that tens of millions of Americans rely on. • It’s time to let them use the full extent of their training, education, and experience to help America see clearly. • We need to modernize outdated laws that hold optometrists back from fully meeting the needs of America’s eyes.
Find out More • Learn more at www.seeclearlyamerica.com to help support America’s eye doctors—optometrists—as well as the communities and patients they serve.
