This week Senate Bill 876 was filed by Senator Manny Diaz, chair of the Health Policy committee. SB 876 is an aggressive and dangerous push by optometry to expand their scope of practice. This proposed legislative bill would grant broad and unprecedented surgical privileges to optometrists who are certainly not adequately trained to perform scalpel surgery, laser surgery, or prescribe narcotics. This type of legislation puts the health and well-being of millions of Floridians at risk and we cannot stand by and watch this disastrous bill make its way through the Legislature.

If SB 876 passes, it will give the Florida Board of Optometry full control to determine the scope of practice for optometrists. Furthermore, it will allow optometrists to perform surgery, including lasers, and expand their oral medication prescribing authority to virtually all oral medications including opioids.

We are urging all Florida Society of Ophthalmology (FSO) members to contact their Senator and ask them to oppose this dangerous legislation that would severely lower the standards of patient care and jeopardize the citizens of Florida.

We appreciate your support in helping the FSO to defeat this reckless legislation. If you would like to help contribute to the FSOs advocacy efforts, please visit: www.mdeye.org/support/contribute.

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