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1 While the majority of states currently allow optometrists to. 2  prescribe oral steroids, Massachusetts is one of several states that do not. 3  Prescribe oral medications. 4  Massachusetts and New York are the only two states in which optometrists cannot prescribe oral medications to treat any condition.
Optometrists already have been able to prescribe âtopicalâ drugs, such as drops and creams, but proposals to expand those powers to oral medications ran into years of opposition from ophthalmologists. Optometrists had to refer patients to ophthalmologists for conditions requiring drugs taken by mouth. Optometrists are not medical doctors and generally do not have the same authority to write prescriptions like ophthalmologists who are medical or osteopathic physicians. The Florida Optometric Association reported that 47 other states allow optometrists to prescribe oral medication to treat eye diseases. In a news release Friday, Ken Lawson, legislative chairman of the Florida Optometric Association, said the bill will help expand access to eye care.