optometrists

Optometrists play an important role in eye care, but they aren’t trained surgeons or even medical doctors.

A controversial call in a state Senate Health Committee vote has some who are opposed to a bill that would expand the scope of practice for optometrists seeing red.  APR obtained a video of a portion of the Feb. 5 Senate Health Committee meeting, during which state Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, who sponsored Senate Bill … Continued

Friday, Congress members Terri A. Sewell (D-Selma), Tom Reed (R-New York) and Diana DeGette (D-Colorado) introduced the Diabetic Vision Loss and Blindness Prevention Act. The legislation allows primary care physicians to perform eye tests on Medicare enrollees in an effort to encourage the early detection of diabetes-related vision loss. “Diabetic retinopathy is the most common … Continued

A recent statewide survey of 500 likely voters published by Alabama Political Reporter found that an overwhelming majority of those polled oppose a proposed change in state law that would allow individuals who are not medical doctors to perform eye surgery. Nearly 80 percent of Alabamians oppose such a move, according to the survey. Alabamians … Continued

A recent statewide survey of 500 likely voters found that an overwhelming majority of those polled oppose a proposed change in state law that would allow individuals who are not medical doctors to perform eye surgery. Nearly 80 percent of Alabamians oppose such a change, according to the survey. Of those surveyed, 74 percent of … Continued

By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter Wednesday, February 8, 2017, the Senate Health Committee voted nine to zero to give a favorable report to SB21, which bans that sale of certain over the counter eyeglass without a prescription. “For the purposes of this act, over-the-counter spectacles means nonprescription ready-to-war magnifying spectacles or glasses that contain … Continued