H.F. 3602 Summary

• Adds new definition to "practice of medicine" to include performing, advertising, or offering to perform ophthalmic surgical procedures on the human eye, eyelids, or orbit, which may only be performed by licensed physicians or exempted persons.

• Defines ophthalmic surgical procedure as any procedure structurally altering tissue using techniques such as cutting, incising, excising, ablating, photo-ablating, suturing, injecting, burning, freezing, or other specified methods on or near the eye, eyelid, or orbit.

• Clarifies optometry scope of practice by stating optometrists cannot perform invasive surgery including laser surgery under the new ophthalmic surgical procedure definition.

• Prohibits optometrists from administering intravenous, intramuscular, or injectable legend drugs except for anaphylaxis treatment.

• Prohibits optometrists from prescribing Schedule II and III oral legend drugs, oral steroids, oral antivirals for more than ten days, or oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors for more than seven days.