Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023) › Title 17 - PROFESSIONS, OCCUPATIONS, AND BUSINESSES (§§ 17-1-101 — 17-107-311) › Subtitle 3 - MEDICAL PROFESSIONS (§§ 17-80-101 — 17-107-311) › Chapter 90 - OPTOMETRISTS (§§ 17-90-101 — 17-90-510) › Subchapter 4 - OPTOMETRIC DRUGS (§§ 17-90-401 — 17-90-404) › Section 17-90-401 - State Board of Optometry - Powers and duties

The State Board of Optometry shall have the following rights and responsibilities:
(1)
To enforce, amend, or repeal the rules promulgated by the board;
(2)
(A)
To approve those optometrists who shall be authorized to possess, administer, and prescribe those drugs approved by this subchapter.
(B)
(i)
No optometrist shall be so approved until he or she has:
(a)
Exhibited his or her qualifications by passing an examination prepared or approved by the board; and
(b)
Served an internship program established by the board, supervised and certified by a board-certified ophthalmologist, which internship includes at least one hundred (100) hours of supervised clinical training in the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions of the human eye and adnexa.
(ii)
(a)
The examination shall include, but not be limited to, written questions designed to test knowledge of the proper use and characteristics of the drugs approved by the board.
(b)
The examination shall be offered not less often than annually;
(3)
To promulgate educational standards, which shall be used as prerequisites to authorization to use those drugs approved in this subchapter. Educational standards shall cover only the area of the proper use and characteristics of the drugs approved by the board and emergency first aid techniques;
(4)
To approve, consistent with the rules promulgated by the board, those acts, services, procedures, and practices which may be performed by a licensed optometrist and, before authorization, by appropriate examination, establish the competence of every optometrist to perform the approved acts, services, procedures, and practices;
(5)
(A)
To prohibit any optometrist who is a graduate of a school or college of optometry as of July 20, 1987, who has not already successfully completed a postgraduate course of study of transcript quality in ocular therapy and pharmacology from an accredited school or college of optometry, which complies with all the prerequisites and requirements of the board and this subchapter, from being approved to perform any of the additional acts, services, procedures, and practices which are specifically authorized in §
17-90-101(a)
and §
17-90-403
until he or she has successfully complied with all the prerequisites and requirements of the board and this subchapter.
(B)
The express purpose of this subdivision (5) is to prohibit the "grandfathering" of currently licensed optometrists unless and until they have completed the prerequisites and requirements of the board and this subchapter established by this subdivision (5). Nothing in this subdivision (5) shall be construed to prohibit any optometrist currently licensed from continuing to practice optometry and be relicensed, but until he or she has met the requirements of this subchapter and the rules of the board, he or she shall not be allowed to utilize the additional treatments provided for in this subchapter;
(6)
To promulgate rules governing the prescribing, administering, and use of all drugs authorized in this chapter by all licensed and board-certified primary care optometrists in the diagnosis, treatment, or management only of conditions of the human eye, lid, adnexa, or visual system; and
(7)
To promulgate rules which authorize board-certified primary care optometrists to order any procedure or laboratory test necessary in the examination, diagnosis, treatment, or management of diseases or conditions of the human eye, lid, adnexa, or visual system.
Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 1566, eff. 7/24/2019.
Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 1565, eff. 7/24/2019.
Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 1564, eff. 7/24/2019.
Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 1563, eff. 7/24/2019.
Acts 1941, No. 94, § 1; 1979, No. 710, § 1; 1981, No. 836, § 1; 1985, No. 875, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 72-801; Acts 1987, No. 101, § 1; 1997, No. 176, § 2; 1997, No. 186, § 2.