Vermont scope-of-practice bill defeated

MONTPELIER, Vt. — For the third straight year, the Vermont legislature defeated a bill that would have authorized optometrists to prescribe all pharmaceutical agents for the diagnosis, management and treatment of the eye and adnexa. The bill would also have allowed optometrists to treat diseases such as glaucoma and to perform injections.

According to an American Academy of Ophthalmology news release, Jan Carney, MD, Vermont's health commissioner investigated access to eye care in the state and found little evidence to indicate the existence of problems. Neither the state department of aging nor the department of children with special needs found difficulty with accessing ophthalmic care, and new patients did not suffer "excessive" waiting times, she found.