Bill > H2380

This bill updates various aspects of optometrist licensure in Massachusetts, modernizing regulations and establishing clearer standards for the profession. It redefines the practice of optometry as encompassing comprehensive eye and visual system care, including examination, diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases and related systemic conditions. The bill requires optometrists licensed before specific dates (1984, 1994, and 2021) to retake and pass licensing examinations to maintain their credentials, particularly for using diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents. It mandates that all optometrists must have a doctorate degree from an accredited optometry program and pass applicable licensing examinations to practice. The bill also updates requirements for annual registration, including paying annual fees, displaying registration certificates, and providing documentation of continuing education. Additionally, the bill allows optometrists to practice under trade names while requiring prominent display of individual optometrist names, updates language around professional misconduct (replacing "habitual drunkenness" with "substance misuse"), and establishes guidelines for professional advertising, including restrictions on misleading statements and price representations. The legislation aims to ensure high professional standards, protect public safety, and provide clear regulatory frameworks for optometric practice in Massachusetts.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2380