New Mexico legislature blocks optometric surgery bill

WASHINGTON — A bill that would have authorized optometrists to perform surgical procedures with lasers, scalpels and needles, as well as prescribe any oral or injectable drug, was “derailed” in the New Mexico legislature, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The AAO noted in a press release that the legislation was passed by New Mexico’s house “by a wide margin” but stalled in a committee in the senate.

A statewide advertising campaign to raise public awareness about patient safety may have played a role in the bill’s defeat, the AAO said. In a poll taken days before the legislature voted on the issue, 94% of New Mexico residents said it was “very important” that someone performing eye surgery be a licensed medical doctor. In addition, more than three-quarters of respondents said that only licensed physicians should perform surgical procedures such as “laser surgery to reshape the cornea” and “laser surgery to treat eye disease,” according to the AAO press release.

The AAO noted that similar legislation is making its way through state legislatures in Alaska, Texas and Puerto Rico.