CONCORD, N.H. —

Eye doctors are in a big fight at the New Hampshire State House over who can perform certain laser procedures to treat cataracts and glaucoma.

Lawmakers will soon have to decide if they want to see things the way optometrists or ophthalmologists do.

"What we're talking about are three in-office procedures," said optometrist Angelique Sawyer. "These are not cataract surgery. They are not Lasik. They are not done in an operating room. They are not done with general anesthesia. They're done in an exam room just like this."

Sawyer said 14 other states already allow optometrists like her to be certified for the trio of laser treatments for cataracts and glaucoma listed in House Bill 349: laser capsulotomy, laser trabeculoplasty and laser peripheral iridotomy.

>> Download th

See Full Page