Alberta to allow qualified optometrists to perform select minor surgical and laser procedures

Alberta will be the first province in Canada to allow optometrists with adequate qualifications to perform certain minor surgical and laser procedures.

Starting Nov. 1, qualified optometrists can remove benign skin lesions, treat styes and perform certain laser procedures. Optometrists must complete additional training before performing the procedures and must comply with new standards of practice and oversight by the Alberta College of Optometrists (ACO).

Primary and Preventative Services Minister Justin Wright said the procedures are currently publicly covered and will continue to be covered with optometrists now being able to perform the procedures. He said safety remains the top priority and only optometrists who have completed additional education, examination, clinical experiences and received authorization may perform the procedures.

“We’re removing unnecessary barriers to care, not lowering the standards to protect patients,” Wright said at a Monday press conference.

“As more optometrists meet those requirements, more Albertans will be able to see the benefits. This is the kind of practical changes we want to see across our Alberta health care system.”

Sophia Leung, president of the Alberta Association of Optometrists, said expanding services optometrists can offer will help reduce wait times for care and minimize travel for Albertans in remote and rural communities.

Leung said the procedures are minimally invasive and can be safely performed in optometric offices. She pointed to similar practices being done in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

“Doctors of optometry are highly trained primary eye care providers. Our rigorous doctoral education and extensive clinical training prepare us, as we do now, to diagnose, to treat, and to manage a wide range of eye diseases and conditions,” Leung said.

“I have seen firsthand the difference that this makes for patients, and I have every confidence in Alberta’s doctors of optometry.”