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Ophthalmologists and physicians tell Senate Health Committee substitute SB 36 risks patient safety and lacks oversight

Senate Health Committee · March 25, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Representatives of the Ohio Ophthalmological Society and Ohio State Medical Association told the Senate Health Committee that substitute Senate Bill 36’s short procedural training and placement of surgical certification with the vision professions board raise patient‑safety and oversight concerns.

Todd Baker, representing the Ohio Ophthalmological Society, and Monica Hickel, representing the Ohio State Medical Association, told the Senate Health Committee they oppose substitute Senate Bill 36 because it would let optometrists gain authority to perform certain procedures without the depth of medical and residency training physicians receive.

"Surgical competence is not achieved through limited exposure to a procedure 3, 4, or even 5 times," Baker said, adding that competence is developed through "4 years of medical school,…

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