449.01 Definitions. (1) Optometry. (a) The practice of the profession of optometry is defined as: 1. The employment of any optometric means, including topical ocular diagnostic pharmaceutical agents under s. 449.17, to determine the visual efficiency of the human visual system, including refractive and functional abilities, or to diagnose the presence of ocular disease or […]
449.015 Discrimination prohibited. Any agency of the state, county, municipality or school district shall accept the optometric services of optometrists licensed under this chapter, on the same basis as those of any other person authorized by law to render optometric services. History: 1999 a. 85 s. 105.
449.02 Licenses; exemptions. (1) No person shall practice optometry within the meaning of this chapter without a license to do so and a valid certificate of registration issued by the examining board, except that a dispensing optician need not be so licensed for the practice of optical dispensing. (2) This section shall not apply to […]
449.03 Enforcement. (1) No rule made by the examining board shall expand the practice of optometry or affect the practice of dispensing opticians, nor shall the examining board enact rules which forbid the employment of an optometrist or declare such employment unprofessional conduct, or prohibit the operation of an optometric department by optometrists in a […]
449.04 Examination and licensure. (1) The examining board may grant a license to engage in the practice of optometry only to a person who satisfies all of the following conditions: (a) The person presents proof satisfactory to the examining board that, subject to ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, he or she does not have an […]
449.055 Endorsement. The examining board may issue a license and certificate of registration to a person who is licensed in good standing to practice optometry in another state that has substantially similar requirements if all of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) The person has passed an examination in pathology and practical optometry. (2) The […]
449.06 Renewal; continuing education. (1) Persons practicing optometry shall, on or before the applicable renewal date specified under s. 440.08 (2) (a), register with the department, pay the applicable renewal fee determined by the department under s. 440.03 (9) (a), and provide evidence satisfactory to the examining board that he or she has complied with […]
449.065 Display of registration. Every practicing optometrist shall display in a conspicuous place, at the entrance of his or her office, the name of the person so practicing and shall keep the certificate of registration issued by the examining board conspicuously displayed in that place of business so that it can easily be seen and […]
449.07 Denial, limitation, suspension, revocation, reprimand. (1) The examining board, by order, may reprimand and may deny, limit, suspend or revoke any license or certificate of registration if the licensee or registrant: (a) Obtained the license or certificate through error or fraud; (b) Is grossly incompetent; (c) Is habitually drunk or addicted to the use […]
449.08 Unprofessional conduct. (1) Unprofessional conduct includes without limitation because of enumeration: (a) Any conduct of a character likely to deceive or defraud the public; (b) Loaning of an optometric license or certificate to anyone; (d) Splitting or dividing any fee for optometric service with any person, except an associate licensed optometrist; or (e) Engaging […]
449.09 Investigations. Subject to the rules promulgated under s. 440.03 (1), the examining board may make investigations and conduct hearings in regard to the conduct of any licensed optometrist or any person who, it has reason to believe, is acting or has acted in such capacity within the state. The person complained against may proceed […]
449.10 Advertising. No rule of the examining board, unless intended to regulate false or misleading advertising, may restrict advertising on products and nonvariable services. In this section, “nonvariable services” means services for which a fee can be objectively determined prior to the time the services are rendered. History: 1977 c. 362.
449.11 Penalties. Any person not lawfully authorized to practice optometry, who shall practice optometry or shall hold himself or herself out as a practitioner thereof, or who shall impersonate another practitioner or who shall violate any provisions of this chapter, or any rule or regulation made under authority thereof, shall be punished for the first […]
449.12 Interpretation. This chapter is passed in the interests of public health, safety and welfare and its provisions shall be liberally construed to carry out its objects and purposes.
449.17 Use of diagnostic pharmaceuticals. (1) Applicability. An optometrist may use topical ocular diagnostic pharmaceutical agents only if the optometrist establishes a plan specified in sub. (2) and if one of the following applies: (a) The examining board initially issues a license to practice optometry to the optometrist on or after August 1, 2006. (b) […]
449.18 Removals from eyes; use of therapeutic pharmaceuticals. (1) Applicability. No optometrist may use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents or remove foreign bodies from an eye or from an appendage to the eye unless one of the following applies: (a) The examining board initially issues a license to practice optometry to the optometrist on or after August […]
449.19 Referral to other health care professionals. If, during the course of examining a person, an optometrist determines the existence of a pathological condition requiring treatment outside the scope of the practice of optometry, the optometrist shall so advise the person and shall refer the person to an appropriate health care professional, as defined in […]
449.20 Civil immunity. No optometrist shall be liable for any civil damages for either of the following: (1) Reporting in good faith to the department of transportation under s. 146.82 (3) a patient’s name and other information relevant to the vision of the patient which in the optometrist’s judgment impairs the patient’s ability to exercise […]
449.25 Informed consent. (1) Any optometrist who treats a patient shall inform the patient about the availability of reasonable alternate modes of treatment and about the benefits and risks of these treatments. The reasonable optometrist standard is the standard for informing a patient under this section. The reasonable optometrist standard requires disclosure only of information […]
