Expanding the Frontiers of Eyecare

As the U.S. population ages and demand for medically necessary eyecare rises, policymakers and practitioners are rethinking how care is delivered. The field of optometry has greatly expanded from its origins in mostly refractive services and spectacle distribution and has in recent decades evolved into one that increasingly provides advanced medical diagnosis and treatment. A shifting workforce, persistent access gaps in many communities, and rising prevalence of age-related eye disease have pushed scope-of-practice reform for optometry from theoretical debate into active policy and needed practice change.