Texas Administrative Code › Title 22 - EXAMINING BOARDS › Part 14 - TEXAS OPTOMETRY BOARD › Chapter 280 - THERAPEUTIC OPTOMETRY › Section 280.1 - Application for Therapeutic Certification

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) To
				be certified to administer and prescribe ophthalmic devices, over-the-counter
				[over-the counter oral] medications, and topical ocular pharmaceutical agents,
				other than antiglaucoma agents, for the purpose of diagnosing and treating
				visual defects, abnormal conditions and diseases of the human eye and adnexa,
				and to be able to remove superficial foreign matter and eyelashes from the
				external eye or adnexa, a licensed optometrist must submit a completed
				application on forms provided by the Texas Optometry Board (Board ). After
				September 1, 1992, all applicants for initial licensure in Texas must be
				licensed as a therapeutic optometrist in order to practice optometry in
				Texas.
(b) A licensed optometrist
				who is not certified as a therapeutic optometrist may only use topical ocular
				pharmaceutical agents for the purpose of ascertaining and measuring the powers
				of vision of the human eye, examining and diagnosing visual defects, abnormal
				conditions, and diseases of the human eye and adnexa, and fitting lenses or
				prisms to correct or remedy any defect or abnormal condition of
				vision.
(c) An application for
				certification must be completed by the applicant, signed, and forwarded to the
				Board along with an application fee. Proof of the required education as set
				forth in §
									280.2 of this title (relating to
				Required Education) must accompany the application form.
(d) Successful examination results of the
				Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) Examination must be submitted
				prior to the issuance of the certificate to practice as a therapeutic
				optometrist.
(e) Designation of
				authority as a certified therapeutic optometrist will appear along with the
				optometrist's license number in the format of the license numbers followed by
				the letter "T." Such designation must appear whenever the license number is
				required under Board statutes or Board rules.
(f) In the event the original certification
				is lost or destroyed, the Board may issue a duplicate certificate; the person
				entitled thereto must make written application to the Board for a duplicate,
				under affidavit setting forth that such certificate was lost or destroyed, and
				the circumstances under which loss or destruction occurred. Should the original
				subsequently be found, it must be forwarded immediately to the Board and not
				used by the person to whom issued originally or by any other person. A fee [of
				$25] must be submitted to the board along with the affidavit for the duplicate
				issue.
(g) Successful completion of
				a Board approved examination testing knowledge of general and ocular
				pharmacology and related pathology with particular emphasis on the topical
				application of pharmaceutical agents shall be required, as defined in §
									280.3 of this title (relating to
				Certified Therapeutic Optometrist Examination).