(a)  Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, amplified optometrists of this state may use and prescribe pharmaceutical agents in the treatment of conditions of the human eye and its appendages, without the use of surgery or other invasive techniques; provided, that all qualified optometrists shall be permitted to become amplified optometrists in accordance with the requirements of subsection (c) of this section and all other requirements of this chapter; and provided, further, that drugs contained in Schedule III of chapter 28 of Title 21 and hydrocodone-containing medications shall be prescribed for no more than seventy-two (72) hours; and that no optometrist shall deliver any medication by injection.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-12

  • Amplified optometrist: means an optometrist licensed in this state to practice optometry and authorized by the board to administer and prescribe pharmaceutical agents in the treatment of conditions of the human eye and its appendages, including anterior uveitis and glaucoma, without surgery or other invasive techniques, and in accordance with Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1
  • Board: means the board of optometry established under the provisions of Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1
  • Department: means the department of health. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1
  • Director: means the director of the department of health. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Optometrist: means a person licensed in this state to practice optometry pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1
  • Optometry: means the profession whose practitioners are engaged in the art and science of the evaluation of vision and the examination of vision and the examination and refraction of the human eye that includes: the employment of any objective or subjective means for the examination of the human eye or its appendages; the measurement of the powers or range of human vision or the determination of the accommodative and refractive powers of the human eye or the scope of its functions in general and the adaptation of lenses, prisms, and/or frames for the aid of these; the prescribing, directing the use of, or administering ocular exercises, visual training, vision training, or orthoptics, and the use of any optical device in connection with these; the prescribing of contact lenses for, or the fitting or adaptation of contact lenses to, the human eye; the examination or diagnosis of the human eye to ascertain the presence of abnormal conditions or functions; and the application of pharmaceutical agents to the eye, provided, that no optometrist licensed in this state shall perform any surgery for the purpose of detecting any diseased or pathological condition of the eye. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1
  • Pharmaceutical agents: means any medications as determined by the department, except those specified in schedules I and II as provided in chapter 28 of Title 21. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-35.1-1

(b)  The director shall issue regulations governing the prescribing of oral pharmaceutical agents, including oral steroids and Schedule III narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics, within the scope of the optometrist’s practice.

(c)  To be newly licensed as an amplified optometrist, a qualified optometrist must meet the qualifications of §?5-35.1-2 and must provide evidence to the department that he or she has satisfactorily:

(1)  Completed at least thirty (30) hours of clinical experience in the treatment of ocular disease with pharmaceutical agents, consistent with current graduate degree requirements for optometric education either within a four-year (4) period immediately prior to the date of application or as otherwise determined by the board; and

(2)  Completed a course in pharmacology, as it applies to optometry, at an approved institution accredited by a regional, professional, or academic accreditation organization.

Further, to maintain amplified-optometrist-licensure status, all amplified optometrists must submit, upon request, evidence of an average of at least five (5) hours of continuing education in pharmacology per year.

(d)  The director, before issuing the regulations, shall request and consider recommendations that may be submitted by the board of optometry.

(e)  The board shall require optometrists to adhere to electronic prescribing standards within thirty (30) months of receiving prescriptive authority as defined in subsection (a) of this section.

History of Section.
P.L. 2008, ch. 305, § 2; P.L. 2008, ch. 433, § 2; P.L. 2009, ch. 310, § 31; P.L. 2014, ch. 422, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 457, § 1.