West Virginia lawmakers are looking into easing state occupational licensing regulations to allow workers from other states to work and address shortages in ophthalmologists, according to a Sept. 9 report from The Intelligencer.
Advocates also brought up expanding the scope of practice for optometrists, who can currently perform eye examinations, diagnose issues and recommend treatments, but cannot perform major medical and surgical procedures for eyes.
In recent years, several states have released regulations concerning the kinds of medical services that optometrists are allowed to offer.
Currently, the number of ophthalmologists in West Virginia is falling, but the number of optometrists remains steady.
In West Virginia, optometrists can use lasers for diagnostics, but not for therapeutic treatment of eye and vision issues. In 11 states, including Virginia and Kentucky, optometrists can use lasers to treat certain conditions such as post-cataract haze, minor glaucoma treatments and refractive laser surgery.
Of the 11 states, only Alaska and Oklahoma allow optometrists to perform LASIK surgeries, which are used to treat nearsightedness, astigmatism and other issues.