A History of Scope Expansion in Optometry and its Impact on the Profession
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Abstract
The purpose of this article is to review the history of meetings held pertaining to the future direction of the profession, legislation passed, and other factors that have significantly impacted the scope of practice of the optometric profession over the past 55 years. Among the topics discussed are the various antecedent events that led to the decision to evolve from a drugless profession to a profession that embraced drugs and surgical procedures. Also discussed are such issues as changes in the optometric curriculum, nature of continuing education courses, type of research conducted both inside and outside of optometric institutions, improvement in interprofessional relations, personal and professional esteem, benefits to the public, and integration into the nation’s health care system.
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