Surgical procedures should be about quality, not quantity. Expanding optometrists’ scope to include complex eye surgeries they are not trained to perform will compromise patient safety and the quality of eye care administered across Nova Scotia.
A new proposal is in development that would allow optometrists to perform surgical procedures based solely on completing a short training course. Ophthalmologists train for years specializing in eye health and surgery, including mastering these intricate surgical laser procedures, before providing independent care to patients.That’s what’s needed to give Nova Scotians the safe, reliable eye care they need.
As the only eye health professionals that are medical doctors with extensive education and certified training in surgical procedures and complex medical eye care, Ophthalmologists should be the ones to deliver safe, high-quality, cost-effective eye surgeries in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotians deserve the best eye care. Untrained and inexperienced optometrists should not be allowed to perform these surgeries.
Care expansion proposals are not new, but no similar scope expansion has been allowed anywhere in Canada. Previous proposals from optometrist organizations have been reviewed by regulatory agencies in the US and Canada, with the majority concluding that expanding surgical services to optometrists is not a safe path for patient health and well-being given the inexperience of potential surgery providers. Moreover, data from other provinces has shown that previous attempts at scope expansions did not reduce costs for their provincial health system, putting the quality of patient care at risk with no economic upside.
Ophthalmologists are duty-bound to protect the safety of their patients. Allowing optometrists to perform these procedures without extensive medical training will put the quality of eye care Nova Scotians receive at risk.
