State Advocacy
New York gains oral medication prescribing authority
The Empire State rounds out the list of states permitting optometry’s oral medication prescribing for ocular diseases, capping a year of historic scope wins for optometry’s advocates.
California amends optometry’s approved treatments, medications and testing
The scope victories eliminate some prior drug and treatment restrictions while also authorizing expanded testing, as well as COVID-19 vaccine administration.
Kansas Insurance Department puts vision plans on notice
After the Kansas Optometric Association and doctors of optometry there raised concerns, the Kansas Insurance Department says it will enforce the state Vision Care Services Act. Want to learn more about third party advocacy? Save the date for the AOA Payer Advocacy Summit, Nov. 15-16.
State advocates ‘fighting to defend and advance our profession’
The Advancing Optometry: State Advocacy Summit 2021, Aug. 30-31, convened hundreds of state advocates and leaders to prepare for current and future statehouse challenges.
Equip to Expand Scope
The scope of success
Coming off a pandemic-stricken year no less, states logged historic scope wins that helped to better realize optometry’s full prowess as primary eye care providers. An upcoming virtual summit offers state advocacy volunteers and leaders, and optometry’s advocates, an opportunity to collaborate on best practices.
State Advocacy Summit amplifies lessons from year of historic scope victories
Advancing Optometry: State Advocacy Summit 2021, Aug. 30-31, is a virtual opportunity for state advocacy volunteers and leaders, and optometry’s advocates, to collaborate on best practices.
Texas scope expansion gains doctors of optometry oral meds, glaucoma authority
Texas becomes the latest state to achieve a significant scope expansion in 2021, earning doctors’ authority to prescribe oral eye medications and independently manage glaucoma.
History made: Wyoming expands scope to include contemporary laser, excision procedures
Wyoming’s approval of contemporary optometric procedures, including laser and excision authorities, goes down in history as the first time in a single year that two states accomplished the scope expansion.
Mississippi scope progresses, other states seeing early successes
Mississippi zeros in on becoming the latest state to authorize certain laser procedures while other state affiliates report positive progress with their own legislation.
8 states authorize doctors of optometry to give COVID-19 vaccinations: The latest
Congresswoman encourages federal recognition of optometry’s utility in COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide as more states activate doctors of optometry alongside new vaccine developments.