This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

OD leaders debate surgical expansion

Issue: December 2005

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

CLEVELAND – Here at the EastWest Eye Conference, Louis J. Catania, OD, FAAO, and Christopher J. Quinn, OD, FAAO, took opposing sides in the optometric scope of practice debate.

Dr. Quinn stressed that optometry must maintain its professional judgment and not allow ophthalmology to dictate what services, including surgery, optometrists can provide. “We’ve lost the edge in treating refractive error to ophthalmologists, who are able to apply the latest technology,” he said.

Dr. Catania argued against pursuing expansion into invasive surgery. Instead, he believes optometry’s future lies in new instrumentation and better, nonsurgical methods of vision correction. “We don’t have enough time in the 4 years to give students the education they already need,” he said.

For more on the EastWest Eye Conference, click on the article links below:

• Catania, Quinn debate the role of surgery in optometric practice
• ODs must maintain professional judgment
• Focus on new technology, not surgery
• Attendees discuss VA, low vision, research