On Wednesday, April 19, the Minnesota Senate adopted a bipartisan amendment, introduced by Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls), to the Health and Human Services budget bill. Rasmusson’s amendment contains SF 659 language to expand the scope of practice for a Doctor of Optometry and increase Minnesotans’ access to high-quality eye care.

Under this amendment, Minnesota optometrists can administer drugs by injection around the eyelid and prescribe oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, oral antiviral medication, and oral steroids. This will allow optometrists’ scope of practice to better match the training that they receive in optometry school.  

“Minnesota’s outdated scope of practice harms our state’s ability to attract and retain optometrists,” Senator Rasmusson said. “Today, I have a constituent who needs to travel six hours roundtrip for a five-minute appointment with a specialist. If this reform is signed into law, local optometrists will be able to provide these services. My amendment modernizes Minnesota’s optometry scope to expand critical patient access throughout our state.”

Minnesota optometrists must pass national boards that cover the entirety of the content in Rasmusson’s amendment. All 24 optometry schools in the United States teach beyond Minnesota’s current scope of practice. 

Additionally, 49 states already allow optometrists to prescribe oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, with 44 states having no limit on the length of prescriptions. In 47 states, optometrists can prescribe oral antiviral medications without a limit. Optometrists can also prescribe oral steroids in 43 states. Finally, 22 other states allow optometrists to administer a drug by injection around the eyelid.

“The amendment offered by Senator Rasmusson will provide a significant boost to Minnesotans seeking better access to quality eye care,” Dr. Randy Kempfer, Optometrist at the Fergus Fall Invision Eye Care Optometry, said. “Doctors of Optometry provide the majority of primary eye care in Minnesota with practices in nearly every county. Expanding the scope of practice will allow optometrists to deliver the extra care that their patients need. This will reduce health care costs and eliminate extra doctor visits. I appreciate Senator Rasmusson’s efforts to make quality eye care more accessible and affordable, and Senator Maye Quade for authoring the language.”

When Rasmusson’s amendment was voted on by the Senate, six Democrat senators joined Republicans to pass the amendment. A majority of Democrat senators opposed the amendment.