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Trusted Eye Care
Tennessee

Doctors of Optometry are the primary eye care providers in Tennessee, providing more eye health and vision examinations than any other profession. Tennesseans look to Doctors of Optometry for their eye care treatment and advice.

    • Doctors of Optometry are currently practicing in 75 of 95 Tennessee counties (and county equivalents), providing eye care access to 96% of the state's total population.

    • In 41 Tennessee counties, Optometrists are the only eye care provider meaning more than 300,000 patients in urban areas and nearly 1 million in rural areas are receiving access to eye care through Doctors of Optometry.

    • In Tennessee, Optometrists are more accessible than Ophthalmologists especially in rural areas. Allowing Optometrists to practice to the full extent of their education, training and expertise will provide continuity of care for the patient, reduce delayed treatment and unnecessary ER visits and prevent vision loss.

    • Doctors of Optometry use a microscope to diagnose over 270 systemic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, auto-immune diseases, cancers and more.

    • Doctors of Optometry are held to the same standard of care as medical doctors. They are educated to recognize eye conditions and evaluate the need for treatment.

Expertly Trained

Optometrists practicing in Tennessee take more than 20 hours of continuing education courses every year. That equates to more than 1000 hours of continuing education after they have graduated from doctor of optometry school.
Compare Optometry school classroom
education to medical school
8 years

4 years Undergraduate University
plus
4 years post-graduate education earning a Doctorate of Optometry. Many optometric physicians also complete residency programs.

1000s

of patients with eye diseases receive care and treatment during optometric training

~10,000

hours of optometry education and supervised patient care before independently seeing patients

1000+

hours of ongoing education in a career after graduation from Doctor of Optometry school

+

Optometry School includes extensive training in

  • Medical eye health services
  • Diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases
  • Prescription medical devices and medications
  • Pre- and post-operative care

 

Proven Success

Nationally Doctors of Optometry already
perform in-office eye laser procedures

Every US Optometry school trains Doctors of Optometry to perform in- office eye laser procedures. Our students at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN, are actively performing these procedures on live patients in the clinic. In other states, these glaucoma and after-cataract in-office laser procedures have been provided by Doctors of Optometry since the 1990s.

A Professor of both Ophthalmology and Optometry's Perspective

Dr. Richard Castillo, OD, DO is both an Ophthalmologist and Optometrist. Dr.  Castillo discusses the need for in-office eye laser procedures in Virginia. The same concerns apply to Tennessee.

Chapters:

Optometry and Ophthalmology play a vital, coordinated role in modern eye care

Doctors of Optometry respect and work closely alongside Ophthalmologists to provide their patients the best possible eye care in Tennessee.

Ophthalmologists provide a critical surgical role in LASIK, incisional glaucoma surgery, retinal surgery, eye muscle surgery, corneal transplants, and much  more. Patients are much better served when each discipline is able to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training. 

teamwork

Tennessee Legislation 

A 2026 bill before the Tennessee General Assembly will allow Doctors of Optometry to practice to the scope of their education and training by allowing them to perform in-office eye laser procedures.

Doctors of Optometry have been trained for and have performed these in-office eye laser procedures in other states for decades. It's time for Tennessee to catch up, especially since more than half of the counties in Tennessee do not even have ophthalmologists, making it difficult to access care.

In-office eye laser procedure certification requires:

  • 4 years of Doctor of Optometry school
  • Evaluation and management of thousands of patients
  • Years of training in ocular disease and treatment
  • Three national board examinations
  • Performance proficiency examination

Optometrists Performing In‑Office Eye Laser FACTS

  • Doctors of Optometry have performed in‑office eye laser procedures for more than 20 years
  • Doctors of Optometry are trained to perform in-office eye laser procedures in school and are certified by experts
  • Doctors of Optometry have been treating glaucoma without lasers for decades
  • Doctors of Optometry have been managing and treating every complication that could come from in-office eye laser procedures for decades

By expanding the eye laser procedures in Tennessee within an optometrist's scope of training and education, Tennesseans will have better access to the care they need.

100,000 and counting...

Optometrists in 14 other states have performed over 100,000 in-office eye laser procedures* since 1998:

  • *Zero unexpected complications.
  • Proven track record with optometry education, training and certification

Your optometrist is educated, trained and certified to perform safe, effective and efficient care!

*data from 2021-2022 public record of state boards

Tennessee Media Updates

Speaker Cameron Sexton Visits SCO

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Speaker Cameron Sexton says he had a great visit to the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis last week.  He says: impressive students, dedicated faculty, and a strong vision for Tennessee's health care future.  

Read Full Article

Tennessee Optometrists have changed their scope of practice a few times over the past 40 years to keep their patient care up to the standards of the doctor's education, ability and training.  During those times, the procedures to adapt optometry laws have not been requested lightly.  The experience of Tennessee Doctors of Optometry over the past 40 years shows their incredible track record of neighborhood patient care and trust within the legislative community.  

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If you would like more information about the 2026 optometry bill or general eye care information, please reach out to us