2006 Minnesota Statutes

148.575 CERTIFICATE REQUIRED FOR USE OF TOPICAL LEGEND DRUGS.
    Subdivision 1. Certificate required for use of legend drugs. A licensed optometrist must
be board certified to use legend drugs for therapy under section 148.576.
    Subd. 2. Board certified defined. "Board certified" means that a licensed optometrist has
been issued a certificate by the Board of Optometry certifying that the optometrist has complied
with the following requirements for the use of legend drugs described in section 148.576:
(1) successful completion of at least 60 hours of study in general and ocular pharmacology
emphasizing drugs used for examination or treatment purposes, their systemic effects and
management or referral of adverse reactions;
(2) successful completion of at least 100 hours of study in the examination, diagnosis, and
treatment of conditions of the human eye with legend drugs;
(3) successful completion of two years of supervised clinical experience in differential
diagnosis of eye disease or disorders as part of optometric training or one year of that experience
and ten years of actual clinical experience as a licensed optometrist; and
(4) successful completion of a nationally standardized examination approved by the board on
the subject of treatment and management of ocular disease prepared, administered, and graded
by the International Association of Boards of Examiners in Optometry or an equivalent national
board examination.
    Subd. 3. Display of certificate required. A certificate issued to a licensed optometrist by the
Board of Optometry must be displayed in a prominent place in the licensed optometrist's office.
    Subd. 4. Accreditation of courses. The Board of Optometry may approve courses of study
in general or ocular pharmacology and examination, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions of the
human eye only if they are taught by an institution that meets the following criteria:
(1) the institution has facilities for both didactic and clinical instruction in pharmacology
and ocular disease treatment;
(2) the institution certifies to the Board of Optometry that the course of instruction is
comparable in content to courses of instruction required by other health-related licensing boards
whose license holders or registrants are permitted to administer pharmaceutical agents in their
professional practice for either diagnostic or therapeutic purposes or both; and
(3) the institution is accredited by a regional or professional accrediting organization
recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation or the United States Department
of Education, or their successors.
    Subd. 5. Notice to Board of Pharmacy. The Board of Optometry shall notify the Board of
Pharmacy of each licensed optometrist who meets the certification requirements in this section.
History: 1993 c 121 s 6; 2003 c 62 s 3,4