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VETS Act introduced in Senate
WASHINGTON — A bill seeking to ensure that optometrists cannot perform ocular surgery in the Veterans Affairs medical system was introduced in the Senate last week, according to a press release from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
The Veterans Eye Treatment Safety (VETS) Act of 2004 specifies that ocular surgery can be performed in the VA system only by “qualified medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy or licensed dentists” whose practice is limited to oral or maxillofacial surgery.
The bill was jointly introduced by a group of senators that included both Democrats and Republicans: Sens. Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Diane Feinstein of California and Fritz Hollings of South Carolina.
The Senate bill is similar to the Veterans Eye Treatment Safety Act of 2003, which was introduced in the House last November. This bill differs from its House counterpart by identifying specifically the noninvasive procedures performed by optometrists that are not affected by the bill, such as insertion of punctal plugs, punctal dilation and epilation, according to the AAO press release.
The AAO is seeking additional cosponsors of the Senate bill, the press release said. The House bill currently has 71 cosponsors.