There are no shortcuts for eye surgery
At the beginning of each year, the South Dakota legislature meets to consider policy changes that seek to improve the lives of people and families in our state. This week, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will consider Senate Bill 87, which, if enacted, could allow South Dakota optometrists to perform delicate eye surgeries without the advanced medical education and training it takes to safely perform these operations.
To understand the importance of this issue, it is helpful to understand the significant differences between optometrists and ophthalmologists.
Ophthalmologists complete eight to 10 years of highly supervised medical and surgical training during medical school, ophthalmology residency, and fellowship. This extended course of training under close supervision ensures that ophthalmologists are ready to provide the highest quality surgical eye care at the conclusion of their training. Moreover, their training program develops a keen sense of judgement to ensure surgical therapies are offered only when necessary and prepares them to manage the complications of surgery when they arise.
An optometrist’s education, in contrast, does not entail this level of extensive surgical training. Optometrists study eye disease and medical management over a four-year period and are not required to attend any type of surgical residency or fellowship training following graduation from optometry school. While there are some optional courses of a few days’ duration on laser procedures available to optometrists, the training is minimal and does not require optometrists to practice their skills on live patients in a supervised setting prior to passing the course.
I am honored to serve as a dermatologist here in Aberdeen. As physicians who are on the front lines fighting skin cancer and treating numerous skin diseases, we often refer our patients to an ophthalmologist if there are concerning skin lesions around the eye. It’s my job to be an expert on the diagnosis of and removal of skin lesions that may be cancerous; however, when lesions are on or near the eyelid I often consult with an ophthalmologist to ensure the lesion is removed as safely as possible, and that the skin defect is also closed properly to ensure the eyelid, and eye, functions properly afterward.
SB 87 would allow optometrists to perform scalpel surgeries to treat skin conditions on the eyelid, which they are not properly trained to do. We oppose this inappropriate scope of practice expansion for optometrists as we believe it disregards adequate and appropriate medical training and jeopardizes patient safety.
In Aberdeen, we are privileged to be represented in Pierre by Senator Al Novstrup and Senator Michael Rohl, who have proven to be effective, considerate legislators. Senator Novstrup and Senator Rohl serve on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, where this bill will be heard in the coming days.
As a medical doctor, I urge Senators Novstrup and Rohl and their colleagues to stand with our medical community and protect patients by maintaining the current safeguard that surgical procedures on the eye should remain restricted to ophthalmologists only. South Dakotans deserve the highest and safest levels of care, and there are no shortcuts for eye surgery. This is why the South Dakota Senate should vote to defeat Senate Bill 87.
Dr. Ty Hanson D.O. is director of Aberdeen Dermatology in Aberdeen, SD, and is a Board Certified Dermatologist who specializes in cosmetic, surgical, and general dermatology. Dr. Hanson has 15+ years of professional experience in private practice in Aberdeen, and also serves as a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of South Dakota. He is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery and the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: There are no shortcuts for eye surgery
