RELATES TO:

KRS 320.220, 320.250, 320.280

STATUTORY AUTHORITY:

KRS 320.240

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT:

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:

KRS 320.240(4) requires the Board of Optometric Examiners to promulgate administrative regulations for the reasonable regulation of the profession of optometry and the practice thereof by licensed optometrists. This emergency administrative regulation is necessary to address the directive for the Board of Optometric Examiners to investigate and review certain licensures per the Opinion of the Attorney General, OAG 25-13, in a way best to protect public health and welfare.

1. Section 1. For all initial licenses approved by the Board for individuals who graduated optometry school between 2020 and 2023, the following examinations shall be taken and a passing score shall be submitted and in the possession of the Board prior to license renewal for 2027:

   1. (1) National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Part 1 results;
   2. (2) NBEO Part 2 and TMOD results; and
   3. (3) NBEO Part 3 results or results of the American Board of Optometry (ABO) board certification exam.
2. Section 2. A licensee may submit a passing score of the Optometry Examining Board of Canada (OEBC) Part 1 to satisfy the requirements of Section 1(1) of this emergency administrative regulation if the OEBC Part 1 test was taken by the licensee or test results were submitted by the licensee to the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners between July 30, 2025, and April 15, 2026.
3. Section 3. The ABO board certification exam shall be utilized for this limited purpose and for the specific review of licenses.

4. Section 4. Any licensee who has not met the requirements of Section 1 of this emergency administrative regulation shall not perform the following procedures until all required results are submitted, reviewed, and accepted by the Board:

   1. (1) Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT);
   2. (2) Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT);
   3. (3) Laser Peripheral Iridotomy (LPI); or
   4. (4) Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) capsulotomy.
5. Section 5. The Board shall provide written notice to the Office of the Attorney General when the credentialing review is complete.

FILED WITH LRC: May 12, 2026

CONTACT PERSON: Christi LeMay, Executive Director, 100 Consumer Lane, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, (502) 234-2114, christi.lemay@ky.gov