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Article: VA Ends Laser Eye Surgery by Optometrists.
- Article from:
- PR Newswire
- Article date:
- December 17, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 PR Newswire Association LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has ended a five-month-old policy that permitted optometrists to perform laser eye surgery at its health care facilities under the supervision of ophthalmologists.
"The decision I made to rescind optometrists' privileges is a reluctant one," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "Since experts could not come up with an implementation plan agreeable to both specialties, I chose this path to protect the interest of veterans."
Traditionally, ophthalmologists perform eye surgery, while optometrists conduct visual examinations.
In VA, health professionals ...