By DR. JODY WHISENANT

A bill currently being considered by the Georgia General Assembly could benefit many Georgians, particularly those who live in rural areas. The legislation, if passed, would allow qualified optometrists to prescribe certain drugs in addition to those they are already permitted to prescribe under Georgia law. By allowing this increase in prescriptive authority, the legislation would make it less costly and more convenient for many Georgians to receive treatment for medical problems affecting the eyes and eyelids. The legislation, SB 16, has already passed the Senate and is now being considered in the House of Representatives.

In a nutshell, this legislation will allow your local optometrist to prescribe oral antibiotics and antihistamines to treat disease of the eyes and eyelids, rather than having to refer you to the nearest ophthalmologist to write the prescription. This will not benefit the optometrist financially, because it takes minimal time to write a prescription, but it will benefit the patient, who will no longer have to set up an appointment and make a separate trip to the ophthalmologist. The end result will be better and less costly eye care for thousands of Georgia families, particularly those in remote areas where ophthamologists are scarce.

Opponents of the legislation primarily ophthamologists say that optometrists lack the training to prescribe these medications, but that claim does not square with the facts. Optometrist have a bachelor's degree plus four full years of optometric school, including a full year of clinical training. And it should be noted that optometrists often sit in the same classroom as ophthamologists and other medical doctors when studying pharmacology.

Nearly 30 states already allow optometrists to dispense the prescriptive drugs covered by this legislation. In Georgia, optometrists have been allowed to use diagnostic drugs since 1979, topical medications for glaucoma and pain since 1994.

Under many managed care plans, optometrists are the "gatekeepers" for eye care in some parts of the state. In fact, they are the only eye doctors available in many communities. Giving them greater prescriptive authority allows them to provide a greater level of care for their patients, who might otherwise have to wait one or more days for an appointment and travel many miles to an ophthalmologist.

(Dr. Jody Whisenant is president of the Georgia Optometric Association and practices in Gainesville, Ga.)

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