Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-25
0ptometry Bill
IsApproved in
y
Altered Form
Senate Unit Cuts Out
Professional Status
Section of Measure

44AC NC1AotC O4otA 4St 0uoAk1CSo
subcommittee today approved a
considerably revised bill amend
ing the District law on OPP
tometry.
Senator Payne, Republican, of
Maine, said the rewritten meas
ure eliminates the controversial
provision which would declare
optometry to be a profession.
This designation has been OPP
posed vigorously by the District
Medical Society.
Bans Price Advertising.
Senator Payne said the revised
bill would still carry provisions
banning advertising prices for
optometric services. This has
been opposed by the Washington
Publishers Association.
Optometry legislation has been
a hot issue between medical doc
tors (opthamologists) and OPP
tometrists for 16 years. The
original bill had the backing of
the American Optometric Asso-
citation.
Higher Standards.
The sponsors claim it will
raise standards in their field,
partly by cracking down on
commercial operators and thus
improving the position of the
professional" group.
These claims are pooh poohed
by the medical society.
Also objecting are elements of
the business community, such as
department stores and jewelry
stores. Such establishments have
departments for eyeglass fitting.
These are the so-called com
mercialS."
The optometric association
wants optometry legally .recog-
nized as a profession and to reg
ulate the practice through a
licensing board.
OptOmetry Defined
The bill defines optometry as
"the science devoted to the ex-
animation of the human eye; to
the prescribing. providing, fur
nishing. adapting and employ
ing of lenses. prisms, contact
lenses, visual training (orthop-
tics) and all preventive or cor
receive optometric methods for
the aid. correction, or relief OF
the human eye; or the analysis
of visual functions for such pur-
poses"
George T. Warren, secretary
of the District Optometry Board,
said the bill would improve
standards.
But DR.. James Spencer Dry
den, chairman of the opthomol-
ogy section of the District Med
ical Society, says optometry is
not profession because its
practitioners sell merchandise
as well as service.
Since the practice is predi-
Gated upon the sale of merchan-
disc" he asserted, "it cannot be-
come profession. No profession
sells anything but service"
DR.. Dryden said one reason
physicians object to the bill is
because of its ''orthoptics" pro-
visions.
Very few people can profit
from eye exercises" he said.
Usually these patients are
cross-eyed children and in these
cases exercise of the eye muscles
is used as an adjunct to surgery,
not as substitute for it.
DR.. Dryden conceded that OPP
tometrists do not necessarily
cause injury by the treatment
or by the glasses they prescribe.
He said however. that sometimes
damage results because patients
with eye disease are not immedi-
ately referred to physicians for
treatment.
Paul Lewis, a Silver Spring
optometrist, took exception to
this contention. He said pro-
fessional optometrists refer their
patients to doctors whenever
necessary.
DR.. Dryden said the medical
society does not object to prac-
tice OF optometry provided its
sphere is clearly defined and the
public understands the differ
ences between optometry and
opthamology.
DR.. Dryden said the medical
society was willing to compro-
mise on the bill if the definition
of optOmetry was DrOperlv re-