VA sets new laser eye surgery policy

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a new policy on who can perform laser eye surgery procedures in the VA health care system and under what conditions, the department announced yesterday.

The new policy states that all therapeutic laser eye surgeries at VA facilities will be performed under the supervision of an ophthalmologist in a manner consistent with standards set by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, according to a press release from the VA.

“Our Department has no higher priority than to ensure veterans receive the highest possible quality health care at all of our facilities,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi in the press release.

Only optometrists who are “fully trained and appropriately licensed” will be granted clinical privileges by the VA to perform therapeutic laser eye surgery under the supervision of an ophthalmologist, according to the press release.

Currently, Oklahoma is the only state that licenses optometrists to perform laser surgery. Earlier this year, the Oklahoma state attorney general clarified the types of surgery an optometrist may perform. His revised opinion states that optometrists in Oklahoma are not authorized to perform “any surgery other than those specifically identified by law, including some types of anterior segment surgery, such as photorefractive keratectomy.”

The American Academy of Ophthalmology noted at the time that LASIK is one of the laser procedures Oklahoma optometrists are not authorized to perform.

VA Undersecretary Robert Roswell, MD, has said that no optometrists are currently performing surgery in the VA system, according to AAO. A bill before both houses of Congress would ban optometrists from performing ocular surgery in the VA medical system.