Optometry Practice Act: Scope of Practice and Definitions
Start with the definitions
Most scope questions are really definition questions. The Act defines the practice of optometry around examining the eye and visual system, determining refractive status, and providing corrective or therapeutic care within statutory limits. Candidates should be able to state what is included (refraction, contact lens fitting, low-vision aids, detection of ocular disease) and what is expressly excluded or reserved to other professions.
Know the boundaries, not just the core
Examiners test the edges: surgical procedures, prescribing authority, and the handling of conditions outside optometric competence. A recurring trap is treating any activity adjacent to eye care (for example, certain injections or surgical acts) as automatically within scope. The safe rule is that authority must be affirmatively granted by statute or Board rule; it is not inferred from training or customary practice.
Board rulemaking fills in detail
Statutory text is often general, with the Board empowered to define modalities, certification requirements, and conditions of practice by rule. Questions may hinge on whether a specific act requires additional credentialing or referral. Read carefully for words like "may," "shall," and "only if."
Worked example / rule of thumb
If a question describes a procedure and asks whether an optometrist may perform it, ask three questions in order: (1) Does the Act list it as within scope? (2) Does a Board rule add a credential or condition? (3) Is referral or collaboration required? If any answer is unclear, the conservative answer-referral or declining-is usually correct. Rule of thumb: scope is granted, never assumed.