Optometry is a legislated profession. The decisions made by local and national politicians have a direct, and often long-lasting, effect on optometry. The rules set forth in federal and state legislation have a broad impact on what optometrists can and cannot do with regard to patient care and the overall practice of optometry.
Legislators, along with agency regulators, determine how optometrists are to be paid, how much they are to be paid, or if they are to be paid for the services they render to the citizens of this country.
Defending the rights of optometrists to practice full-scope optometry is one of the most important roles of the American Optometric Association. The volunteers and staff of the AOA Advocacy Group are dedicated to preserving and forwarding the interests of optometrists and their patients in the legislatures of the United States to ensure that Americans continue to have access to quality vision care.
More information on AOA advocacy can be found here.
