As members of the Maine State Legislature, we often hear from constituents about long wait times and difficulty accessing health care services. These problems apply to all specialties and are getting worse as the demand for health care continues to outpace the supply of providers. This is especially true for vision and medical eye care, which is why we’re sponsoring bipartisan legislation to help address this problem.

More than 22% of Maine’s residents are over age 65. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that number will grow to more than 31% in the next five years. This is the highest percentage of any state and is straining access to health care services, including treatments for common eye conditions associated with aging like glaucoma and cataracts.

According to the National Eye Institute, there are more than 24 million Americans with cataracts, a number that is expected to increase to 38 million by 2030. Glaucoma affects more than 3 million Americans and costs the U.S. economy $2.86 billion annually in direct costs and productivity losses. Timely access to treatment can improve quality of life for residents while reducing costs.

Our proposal is designed to modernize outdated laws by allowing optometrists to perform certain in-office, noninvasive, minor laser procedures to treat glaucoma, provide after-cataract care and remove styes and skin tags. It also expands existing vaccination and prescriptive authority for optometrists.

Currently, if a patient requires one of the procedures included in this legislation, their optometrist must refer them to an ophthalmologist for care. This typically includes three separate appointments for the initial consultation, procedure and follow-up care.

For many of our constituents, paying additional co-pays, taking time off work or finding transportation to these appointments can be challenging, and not being able to continue receiving care from a doctor they’ve grown to trust can be frustrating. Yet, if they don’t receive treatment, they risk living with blurry vision and experiencing future complications, including blindness.

The procedures included in this legislation are low-risk and can provide immediate results for patients. They are completed in an optometrist’s chair and do not require general anesthesia, cutting or injections into the eye. Passage of this legislation will increase access to care and reduce health care costs for patients. It will help Maine’s economy by attracting and retaining highly skilled, qualified optometrists to live and work in our state and will prevent residents from traveling out of state for care.

Optometrists practice in 15 of Maine’s 16 counties, providing eye care access to 92% of our state’s population. Three counties don’t have any ophthalmologists, and two counties have only one. A recent study published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology found that in 10 years, there will be a 12% decrease in the number of ophthalmologists nationwide and a 24% increase in the demand for their services. Recent data from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis identified ophthalmology as one of specialties that will have the lowest supply of providers in the next decade.

Optometrists are highly skilled professionals who earn doctorate degrees upon completion of four years of optometry school, which includes extensive classroom, laboratory and clinical training focused on the eye and its components. All U.S. optometry schools teach students to perform the procedures included in this legislation.

More than 140,000 of these procedures have safely been performed in other states since 1998 and are approved to be performed within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in states that allow full scope practice. Maine has the opportunity to join other states in taking proactive measures to increase access to important vision and medical eye care.

Through our work on behalf of some of Maine’s most rural areas, we know increased wait and travel times for health care appointments can be particularly burdensome for rural residents. As lifelong Mainers, we are dedicated to advocating for the needs of our residents and promoting this amazing state that we call home.

We support allowing residents to receive care when and where they need it from a provider of their choice. It’s time to update Maine’s optometric scope of practice laws and help all Mainers see clearly.