Optometrists’ Cutting Edge?

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California is known for being on the cutting edge, an innovative leader in important areas such as environmentalism, entertainment, and the economy. However, regarding access to eye care, California lags far behind the majority of other states.

California residents deserve access to quality primary health care, including eye care, and this is where optometrists can help.

An optometrist is most Californians’ primary eye care provider, and there are twice as many optometrists statewide serving Medi-Cal patients as ophthalmologists, according to the California Senate Budget Committee. In fact, there is an optometrist in 54 of 58 California counties.

An optometrist not only prescribes eyeglass prescriptions, he or she also detects eye-related diseases and many other unrelated diseases like diabetes through a comprehensive eye exam.

But current law prevents California optometrists from providing glaucoma care, a serious eye disease that causes increased pressure in the eye and, if not treated, partial or full vision loss.

A bill pending in the State Legislature — Senate Bill 1406 — would change our current law and provide greater access to vision care to all Californians. Our legislators need our support to vote for this bill and bring California vision treatment into the 21st century.

Forty-one other states allow optometrists to diagnose and treat patients’ glaucoma fully, which we are eminently qualified to do. We hope California will do the same. — Luke Werkhoven, O.D.

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