§30-8B-5. Education and training.

(a) Any license granted to an applicant who graduated from an accredited school or college of optometry in 2025 or thereafter, and who passed the Laser and Surgical Procedures Examination administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry or other equivalent proficiency examination approved by the board shall be deemed to have met the education and training criteria listed in §30-8B-5 of this code.

(b) The board shall accept post graduate courses or training programs for certification that are provided by or through a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education or its successor organization provided, the courses or training programs include the criteria listed in §30-8B-5(c)(1) through §30-8B-5(c)(3);

(c) The board, at its discretion, may approve courses or training programs provided through organizations other than accredited schools or colleges of optometry certifying that the optometrist is competent in the utilization of ophthalmic lasers if, and only if, the courses or training programs meet the following minimum criteria:

(1) Each course or training program shall include indications, contra-indications, techniques, risks, and benefits.

(2) Each course or training program shall include appropriate follow up and management protocols and techniques;

(3) Each course or training program shall teach the procedures in a closely supervised environment with a proficiency assessment.

(d) A list of approved courses or training programs for ophthalmic laser utilization certification will be maintained by the board for public inspection.