65-2887. Assisting unlicensed persons to practice optometry not authorized; exceptions. (a) Nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize any person licensed under this act to knowingly perform any act which in any way assists an unlicensed person, except as provided under subsections (b) and (c), firm, association or corporation (1) to make an examination of the eyes for the prescription of glasses, or (2) to perform any of the practice acts for which optometrists are licensed.

(b) A person who is licensed to practice medicine and surgery may delegate to assistants the performance of screening procedures for visual acuities, color vision, visual fields, and intraocular pressure.

(c) A person who is licensed to practice medicine and surgery and who has completed an approved postgraduate training program in ophthalmology or who is practicing as a fulltime ophthalmologist on the effective date of this act may utilize not more than three (3) assistants to perform examination procedures which may be performed by a person licensed to practice optometry. The examination procedures performed by assistants to ophthalmologists shall be limited to data gathering at the direct request of the ophthalmologist and to those examination procedures which do not require professional interpretation or professional judgment. These examination procedures may be performed by assistants only under the immediate and personal supervision and within the office of an ophthalmologist. Delegation to such assistants of the external and internal evaluation of the eye, biomicroscopic evaluation, subjective refraction, gonioscopic evaluation, final contact lens fit evaluation, orthoptic and strabismus evaluations, visual training evaluations, analysis of findings and the prescribing of ophthalmic lenses are prohibited.

History: L. 1957, ch. 343, § 87; L. 1978, ch. 252, § 1; July 1.