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Click Here to begin 2012 Online Renewals. 

Remember if you have a 3 digit license number to put in a leading zero.  Then you will be required to enter the last 4 digits of your SSN.

State Offices will be closed December 30th and January 2nd.  Staff will return on January 3, 2012.

News Release

November 4, 2011, marks the completion of the regulatory process implementing Senate Bill 110, the Better Access to Quality Eye Care Law.

That process entailed a public hearing, comments from the public, amendments to the original proposed regulation, and an oversight hearing by the Administrative Regulatory Review Subcommittee of the General Assembly, which found the regulation to be in compliance with Kentucky statutes.

The regulation detailing the educational, training, and testing requirements necessary for a Kentucky licensed doctor of optometry to become credentialed to do certain limited minor surgical and laser procedures is now effective.

No currently licensed doctor of optometry will be grandfathered in.   Kentucky licensed optometrists who wish to be credentialed in Expanded Therapeutic Procedures, must first pass a course conducted by an optometry or medical school covering 24 areas of technical information.  They must undergo clinical education and demonstrate competency in performing these additional procedures such as removal of skin tags from around the eye, treatment of styes and other minor eye surgeries.  Prior to being credentialed to perform certain kinds of laser procedures, optometrists must also demonstrate competency in the use of each type of laser to a board-approved preceptor who must be a faculty member of an optometry or medical school.

Optometrists licensed after June 8, 2011, must be credentialed in Expanded Therapeutic Procedures prior to the first renewal of license.

This additional education and training builds on the foundation of four years of specialized doctoral level study in the eye and vision from an accredited school of optometry, following graduation from college.  Kentucky licensed doctors of optometry will have shown through completing the rigorous requirements set forth in this regulation that they are able to safely provide these additional services in their offices.

Forms to begin the credentialing process will be available through the office of the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners and will be posted on its website soon.  These include an application for Expanded Therapeutic Procedure credentialing, application for approval as a preceptor, forms for reporting results of preceptorship and other necessary paperwork.

Doctors of optometry will not be doing cataract surgery, LASIK, retinal, cornea or eye surgeries that require general anesthesia.  They will continue to do pre- and post-operative care on their patients who have had these surgeries.

The Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and has the charge of protecting the public by regulating the licensing and compliance of Kentucky optometrists with state laws and professional standards.  Members of the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners are appointed by the Governor.

All continuing education taken for license renewal must be sponsored by a state, regional (multi-state like SECO) or national optometric association*, an accredited school of optometry or an accredited school of medicine.  This is pursuant to 201 KAR 5:030 Section 2.

*National optometric association would be the American Optometric Association, American Academy of Optometry, College of Vision Development and the National Optometric Association.

This means that all education certificates submitted for license renewal, must be sponsored by one of the above groups including all COPE courses, and OEP courses, internet or correspondence or audio-digest.  The only exception to this requirement is the one-hour HIV-AIDS course which must be approved by the KY Cabinet for Health & Family Services (CHFS). This course is required for newly licensed optometrists.    Click this link to go to the CHFS HIV approved class information web page: HIV-AIDS Training.

If you use the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's OE Tracker database to document your continuing education, please forward the printout with your signature to our office as soon as you complete the education.  This will expedite the release of your license during renewals.