As Introduced 1
122nd General Assembly 4
Regular Session H. B. No. 553 5
1997-1998 6
REPRESENTATIVE COUGHLIN 8
10
A B I L L
To amend sections 4725.08 and 4725.091 of the 12
Revised Code to eliminate a provision that 13
prohibits a person seeking a license to practice 14
optometry from taking the licensing examination 15
more than four times. 16
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: 18
Section 1. That sections 4725.08 and 4725.09l of the 20
Revised Code be amended to read as follows: 21
Sec. 4725.08. (A) Each person who desires to commence the 30
practice of optometry shall file with the secretary of the state 31
board of optometry a written application for the licensing 32
examination. 33
Each application for the licensing examination shall be 35
accompanied by the fee required under section 4725.10 of the 36
Revised Code and shall be filed with the secretary not more than 37
sixty nor less than thirty days prior to the day of any meeting 38
at which the applicable examination is to be held. 39
Each application for the licensing examination shall be 41
upon the form prescribed by the board and shall be verified by 42
the oath of the applicant. In addition, it shall contain 43
information and evidence satisfactory to the board showing the 44
eligibility of the applicant to take the examination. 45
(B) No person is eligible to take the licensing 47
examination unless he THE PERSON is at least eighteen years of 48
age, of good moral character, has satisfactorily completed a 50
course of study of at least six college years, and has graduated 51
2
from a school of optometry accredited by the board; provided that 52
the school of optometry requires at least two academic years of 53
study with credits of at least sixty semester hours or ninety 54
quarter hours in a college of arts and sciences accredited by the 55
association of American universities or the north central 56
association of colleges and secondary schools or a similar 57
regional accrediting agency as a prerequisite to admission to the 58
courses in optometry; and additionally provided that the school 59
of optometry requires a course of study of at least four academic 60
years with credits of at least one hundred thirty-four semester 61
hours or two hundred quarter hours. No school of optometry shall 62
be accredited unless it is accredited by the established 63
professional optometric accrediting agency, and no school of 64
optometry shall be accredited except by an affirmative vote of a 65
majority of the members of the board. The board may require 66
higher standards for the accrediting of the schools of optometry. 67
The licensing examination shall consist of two parts. Part 69
one of the examinination shall consist of tests in practical, 70
theoretical, and physiological optics, in theoretical and 71
practical optometry, in the anatomy and physiology of the eye, in 72
pathology, and in the optometric aspects of whatever additional 73
related social, physical, and biological sciences are determined 74
by the board to be appropriate subject matters for examination, 75
provided that the schools and colleges approved by the board 76
include such subject matters in the prescribed curriculum. Part 77
two of the examination shall be a pharmacology examination and 78
shall test the applicant's knowledge derived from the course of 79
study prescribed under division (C) of this section. 80
The licensing examination shall be prepared, administered, 82
and graded by the national board of examiners in optometry or a 83
professionally qualified testing organization recognized by the 84
state board of optometry. 85
(C) The state board of optometry shall prescribe by rule 87
an eighty-seven clock-hour course of study and training to be 88
3
completed at an institution accredited by a regional or 89
professional accreditation organization that is recognized or 90
approved by the council on post-secondary accreditation or the 91
United States department of education or its successor. The 92
course of study and training shall include, but is not limited 93
to, instruction in general and ocular pharmacology, including the 94
nature of adverse reactions caused by pharmaceutical agents and 95
emergency steps to be taken in such cases; signs, symptoms, and 96
treatment of ocular disease, injury, or abnormality; ocular signs 97
and symptoms of systemic disease; appropriate criteria for 98
referrals to physicians; and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 99
(D) No person shall be permitted by the board to take more 101
than four licensing examinations. 102
Sec. 4725.091. (A) A person who, on the effective date of 111
this section MAY 19, 1992, holds a valid certificate of licensure 113
or topical ocular pharmaceutical agents certificate issued by the 114
state board of optometry may continue to engage in the practice 115
of optometry as provided by the certificate of licensure or 116
topical ocular pharmaceutical agents certificate provided he THE 117
PERSON continues to comply with sections 4725.01 to 4725.21 of 119
the Revised Code as required by his THE PERSON'S certificate of 120
licensure or topical ocular pharmaceutical agents certificate. 122
(B) The board shall issue a therapeutic pharmaceutical 124
agents certificate under division (A)(3) of section 4725.09 of 125
the Revised Code to any optometrist who holds a certificate of 126
licensure issued by the board and meets the requirements of 127
divisions (C) and (E) of this section not later than five years 128
after the effective date of this section MAY 19, 1992. 130
(C)(1) A licensed optometrist seeking a therapeutic 132
pharmaceutical agents certificate under division (A)(3) of 133
section 4725.09 of the Revised Code who does not hold a valid 134
topical ocular pharmaceutical agents certificate shall complete 135
the course of study in general and ocular pharmacology prescribed 136
by the board under division (C) of section 4725.08 of the Revised 137
4
Code and pass part two of the optometry licensing examination 138
administered by the board under section 4725.08 of the Revised 139
Code. 140
(2) A licensed optometrist seeking a therapeutic 142
pharmaceutical agents certificate issued under division (A)(3) of 143
section 4725.09 of the Revised Code who holds a valid topical 144
ocular pharmaceutical agents certificate shall complete a thirty 145
clock-hour course of study in general and ocular pharmacology in 146
accordance with division (D) of this section and pass part two of 147
the optometry licensing examination administered by the board 148
under section 4725.08 of the Revised Code. 149
(D) The board shall prescribe by rule the course of study 151
provided for by division (C)(2) of this section. The course of 152
study shall emphasize the treatment of ocular disease and shall 153
be completed at an institution accredited by a regional or 154
professional accreditation organization that is recognized or 155
approved by the council on post-secondary accreditation or the 156
United States department of education or its successor. 157
(E) An optometrist who has completed the appropriate 159
course of study under divisions (C) and (D) of this section may 160
apply to the board to take part two of the licensing examination. 161
Each application shall be on the form prescribed by the board and 162
shall be verified by the oath of the applicant. It shall contain 163
information and evidence satisfactory to the board showing the 164
eligibility of the applicant to take part two of the examination 165
and shall be accompanied by the fee required by section 4725.10 166
of the Revised Code. In addition to the examination dates the 167
board sets for applicants under division (A)(4) of section 168
4725.09 of the Revised Code, the board shall set dates on which 169
part two of the examination may be taken by applicants under 170
division (A)(3) of that section. No optometrist shall be 171
permitted by the board to take part two of the examination more 172
than four times. 173
Section 2. That existing sections 4725.08 and 4725.091 of 175
5
the Revised Code are hereby repealed. 176