MSBO RULES (if you really wanna))

Any optometrist presented with a claim against him/her involving his/her professional service, by letter or lawsuit, shall report in writing to the Executive Director of the State Board of Optometry the same day as the optometrist received the claim

{Rule 8.7}

Any person licensed to practice optometry in Mississippi shall send written notice to the Board of any change in floor plan, change in office telephone number or change in business and/or mailing address, including branch offices. This notice needs to be reported to the Board within fourteen (14) days prior to the expected change

Rule 8.15

Spectacle prescriptions from a licensed optometrist are valid for no more than two (2) years but may be less than two (2) years at the discretion of the prescribing optometrist.

Rule 6.2

Contact lens prescriptions are valid for one (1) year.

{Rule 6.1.A.7}

Regarding lease of premises from a mercantile establishment, the lease space shall be definite and apart from the space occupied by other occupants of the premises

{Rule 8.2.D}

Board shall refuse to grant a certificate of licensure to any applicant and may cancel, revoke or suspend the operation of any certificate granted for any of the following reasons: Unprofessional and unethical conduct, the conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, habitual intemperance in the use of ardent spirits, or stimulants, narcotics, or any other substance that impairs the intellect and judgment to such an extent as to incapacitate one for the performance of the duties of an optometrist or conviction of a felony in this state or any other jurisdiction.

Section 73-19-23 of Mississippi Code

cannabis certified optometrist must have a “bona-fide practitioner–patient relationship.”

{Rule 12.2}

Telehealth consultations may NOT include the use of audio-only telephone, email or facsimile.

{Rule 11.1}

The definition of a Primary Eyecare Procedures (PEP) optometrist is “an optometrist certified to perform primary eyecare procedures.” PEP optometrists will have a PEP designation added to their license number.

{Rule 1.1.A.7}

YAG laser posterior capsulotomy is not an exclusion defined within statue for PEP certified optometrists.

{Rule 1.1.A.8.a.i}

General requirements for PEP certified optometrists differ from therapeutic optometrist; PEP certified optometrists that are certified to perform authorized Ophthalmic surgical procedures, such as YAG laser posterior capsulotomy, will be required to complete an outcomes form (provided by the board) each year during the renewal process and must have an in-person and hands-on AED training and a device easily accessible for PEP certified optometrists only if they are performing PEP procedures within their business(es).

{Rule 4.2}

Retinal imaging devices, either photography or laser scanning, are not required for current standards of care.

{Rule 9.2}

A visible copy of the optometrist’s license is required, even when the optometrist is not working in a full-time capacity or in a branch office.

{Rule 9.4}

Regarding delegation of duties in the optometric office, the licensed practitioner shall be responsible for all delegated acts performed by persons under his or her direct and general supervision.

{Rule 7.1}

In the event of death of a licensed optometrist, the executor must arrange for the transfer of the deceased optometrist’s patients’ records within ninety (90) days.

{Rule 8.6.D}

Regarding the certification to perform primary eyecare procedures, the process will not include a written exam on the history of optometry in the United States from 1920 through 2020.

{Rule 1.5}

Regarding the certification to perform primary eyecare procedures, performance of a YAG laser posterior capsulotomy on a live patient will not be included.

{Rule 1.5}

Therapeutically certified optometrists are required to obtain twenty (20) hours of continuing education, of which ten (10) shall consist of therapeutic subject matter.

{Rule 4.1}

Regarding continuing education requirements for all optometrists, the Board will grant one (1) hour of education credit each year for required CPR certification, the Board will grant one (1) hour of education annually for the completion of a two- (2-) hour course pertaining to the prescribing and diversion of controlled substances, and the course pertaining to the prescribing and diversion of controlled substances must be completed every two (2) years and initially by the 2022 renewal.

{Rule 4.1}

Regarding the performance of any Primary Eyecare procedures, performance of any primary eyecare procedures without certification or credentialling may be grounds for license suspension or revocation. All primary eyecare procedures will be performed within the floor plan filed with the Board office, and performance of primary eyecare procedures must include an established doctor-patient relationship, unless under emergency circumstances.

{Rule 5.5.D}

In order to become a certified cannabis practitioner, the optometrist must maintain a current and unrestricted Mississippi optometry license, the applying optometrist must complete a minimum of eight (8) hours of CE in the area of medical cannabis before initial registration shall be approved. These hours are in addition to the twenty (20) hours for yearly license renewal and certifying practitioners must be authorized and registered with both the Optometry Board and the Mississippi State Department of Health.

{Rules 12.3 & 12.5}

Mississippi Code Section 73-19-1

defines the practice of optometry includes the following:

(A) the application of optical principles, through technical methods and devices in the examination of human eyes for the purpose of ascertaining departures from the normal, measuring their functional powers and adapting or prescribing optical accessories, including spectacles, contact lenses and low-vision devices for the aid thereof, including, but not limited to, the use of a computerized or automated refracting devices, lenses and prisms, vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation therapy;

(B) shall include the prescribing and use of therapeutic pharmaceutical agents by optometrists certified;

and (C) the removal of superficial foreign bodies from the eye or other noninvasive procedures.