NUNEZ: Governor Ayotte Got the Eye Surgery Bill Right
When it comes to something as precious and irreplaceable as eyesight, there is no room for uncertainty, shortcuts or error.
That’s why Gov. Kelly Ayotte made the right decision in vetoing House Bill 349, legislation that would have allowed optometrists to perform laser eye surgeries in New Hampshire.
As Granite Staters navigate aging, encounters with new doctors, diagnoses and treatments become more common. These moments often arrive without warning, bringing urgent questions: Who do I need to see? What procedure is required? What comes next? In that uncertainty, patients place profound trust in the medical community. We rely on New Hampshire’s medical and surgical professionals to be fully vetted, highly trained experts, especially when facing something as serious as eye surgery.
Whether the need is treatment for glaucoma, cataracts or other age-related conditions, patients expect that the person performing such procedures possesses the highest level of training, skill and experience. This expectation is not excessive; it is essential. The human eye is extraordinarily delicate, and when something goes wrong, the consequences can be permanent and life-altering.
That is why maintaining the highest standards for education and training in eye surgery is so critical. Patients must be able to place complete trust in the qualifications and expertise of the professionals caring for them.
In conversations with caregivers, families and policymakers across New Hampshire, the reaction has been consistent: People are uneasy with nonphysicians performing eye surgery. That instinct reflects common sense. Surgical readiness comes from the highest level of medical education, training and standards.
This is not about diminishing the important role optometrists play. They are a vital part of our health care system, providing exams, prescribing lenses and treating many visual conditions. But they are not medical doctors or trained surgeons.
There is a clear difference between primary vision care and performing surgery. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who complete medical school, surgical residencies and years of hands-on training before operating independently. That level of preparation exists because surgery demands it.
HB 349 would have blurred that line in a way that puts patients at risk by allowing optometrists to perform certain types of surgery inside the eye.
Perhaps most concerning is training. Medical school provides the foundation for surgical residency, something not achievable in optometry school. Most optometry schools are located in states that do not allow laser eye surgery, raising a critical question: Where is the hands-on surgical experience coming from? When it comes to our health, “unclear” is not good enough.
Here in New Hampshire, this comes down to patient safety. No state in the Northeast allows optometrists to perform laser eye surgery. That reflects a cautious, patient-first approach. As a caregiver, I should not have to wonder whether a provider learned surgical skills through a brief course or years of supervised training on real patients.
Granite Staters agree. A recent University of New Hampshire poll found nearly 80 percent of residents oppose expanding surgical authority in this way.
Gov. Ayotte recognized that.
By vetoing HB 349, she chose patient safety over pressure to expand medical roles without the training surgery demands. Her decision ensures that when it comes to something as delicate as eye surgery, patients are cared for by those with the highest level of preparation.
At the end of the day, this is not about politics or professions. It is about trust.
Health care innovation and access matter, but they should never come at the expense of safety. When it comes to something as precious as sight, caution is not obstruction; it is responsibility.
And as a daughter, mother and health care decision-maker for my family, that is a standard we should all share.
JENNIFER NUNEZ
Jennifer Nunez is the former Director of Emergency at LRGHealthcare. She wrote this for NHJournal.com. More by Jennifer Nunez