Louisiana looks for second House win on HB 527

Baton Rouge-Optometrists in Louisiana are looking for their second House win on HB 527 this week. It passed the House health and welfare committee by a vote of 12-7, and will go to the House floor for debate and vote. The bill allows optometrists to: determine the scope of the practice of optometry, administer medication by injection, and perform several laser procedures (Yag, peripheral iridotomy [PI], and selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT).

James Sandefur, OD, executive director of the Optometry Association of Louisiana, is optimistic about the bill’s overall passage. “We have good support in the House, we believe,” says. “We had 10 co-authors of the bill on the committee and 20 co-authors in total.”

If HB 527 passes the House, it then goes to the Senate health and welfare committee, then the Senate floor for debate and vote.