Tennessee governor signs bill allowing ODs to inject anesthetics

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law on Tuesday legislation permitting optometrists in the state to inject local anesthesia for certain procedures.

According to amendment #4 of SB 220, Tennessee optometrists can use local anesthesia by injection with procedures such as needle drainage of an abscess, excision of certain epidermal lesions, incision and curettage of a nonrecurrent chalazion, repair of certain eyelid lacerations and removal of certain foreign bodies.

The Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians (TAOP), in a statement provided to Primary Care Optometry News, said, “Since 1993, injectable-certified optometric physicians have been able to inject medications only therapeutically. Also since 1993, eyelid procedures were only able to be performed with topical anesthetic agents such as lidocaine gel.”

TAOP legislative chairman Jeff Foster, OD, told PCON that the Senate floor vote was 28 to 4, and the House floor vote was 86 to 2.

Amendment #3 requires optometrists who perform injections of local anesthetic to have current CPR certification or have someone in the office with the certification and also maintain an automated external defibrillator in the office. – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS