Lawmakers are heading back to Frankfort on Monday, March 5, with just over three weeks left before the recess, and Kentucky opthamologist and others continue to come forward seeking a change in a house-passed bill that they say would throw cold water on advancing eyecare technology and care. House Bill 197 is currently in a senate committee. It would enact requirements that would throttle telemedicine technology advances, including things like in-home screenings for many common eye diseases and online eyeglass prescription checks. If enacted, the bill would force Kentuckians to pay more and get worse eye care, according to Kentucky Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons President-Elect, Dr. Frank Burns. He says it would have a chilling effect on medical innovation. Burns says the bill would require a physician’s presence for some screenings that can be done in home by a technician using new technology, meaning more inconvenience and greater expense for patients.