By Andreea Chirica
I am in awe of the eyes. These delicate organs help people interact with the world in special ways. They enable parents to watch their children grow. They allow workers to perform the tasks which earn them their livelihood. They permit us to appreciate the beautiful world we live in. Preserving vision is vital, which is why I’m working toward becoming an ophthalmologist.
As a second-year student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, I’ve come to appreciate the complex mechanisms that allow us to see. I’ve also begun to understand the dangerous diseases that can take sight away, and all the ways things can go wrong if there’s even the slightest error in the operating room. Given such life-altering risks, I find it troubling that the Legislature is considering a bill that would allow optometrists – who don’t have the appropriate training – to perform surgery on patients’ eyes.
Through my work in the Sight Savers program in Newark, which offers free eye screenings to community members, I’ve met New Jerseyans from all backgrounds dealing with a wide variety of eye issues. Many patients suffer from complicated pathologies, especially in underserved communities, so it is in their best interest to have a qualified specialist provide their eye care. During our screenings, when a patient needs a surgery that involves a sharp scalpel or powerful laser, we always refer them to an ophthalmologist who is specifically trained to precisely treat their issues.
A bill (S365) that will be debated Thursday in the Senate Commerce Committee, however, would allow optometrists to perform surgeries – reversing existing laws that uphold the highest standards of medical care.
I am undergoing rigorous coursework and training required to practice as an ophthalmologist, and this education is necessary to perform these procedures safely. By the time I earn the privilege to care for patients independently, I’ll have completed four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, an internship year, three years of residency training under the supervision of an experienced surgeon, and perhaps even a multiyear fellowship program to further specialize my medical expertise.
That’s 12 years of advanced training — at a minimum — before I can perform eye surgery without supervision.
Such surgical specialties are the most competitive to enter, because they carry the most risk – medical students who want to apply for an ophthalmology residency must be near the top of their class – and this long process of accumulating skills requires more than 17,000 hours of training.
There is no shortcut to safe surgery. With something as sensitive as one’s vision, patients should only receive surgical care from licensed medical doctors with the appropriate training. So it is disheartening to see lawmakers risk a patient’s eyesight by allowing someone with inadequate preparation to perform the same delicate operation I train for.
Optometrists are not qualified to perform surgeries on or around patients’ eyes. They are not medical doctors. They complete training that is very different, and much shorter, than that of an ophthalmologist — four years of undergraduate education, plus four years at a professional school. None of it focuses on surgery.
Optometrists do a great job in their practices, treating certain nonsurgical eye conditions with drops and oral medications and providing vision aids such as glasses and contact lenses. But they train in very narrow scopes for a reason. You would not have a flight attendant fly a plane, even though they are great at their job. Likewise, having different responsibilities based on their training allows both optometrists and ophthalmologists to excel in their respective specialties and, most importantly, keeps patients safe.
I look forward to starting my career as an ophthalmologist to care for patients in need of eye surgery. But New Jersey should not lower the high standards for surgery that allow patients to be treated by the best people for the job.
Andreea Chirica is a second-year medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
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