Improperly licensed KY optometrists can keep practicing until next year under new regs
The board that regulates optometrists in Kentucky has filed emergency regulations to address exemptions from licensure requirements it improperly granted some optometry graduates in recent years.
But the Dec. 31 regulations, which took effect immediately, are drawing fire from critics who say they do nothing to explain the past actions of the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners or address whether optometrists who were exempted from mandatory exams are qualified to continue providing eye care to patients.
“Our focus has always been on patient safety,” Dr. Jill Bryant, executive director of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, or NBEO, said in an email. “We are deeply concerned that the people of Kentucky are still receiving treatment from improperly licensed optometrists who have never demonstrated that they can successfully pass national competency assessments — and, in some instances, have repeatedly failed those assessments.”
The regulation allows any optometry graduate from 2020-2023 who has not passed all required licensure exams to do so by 2027.
https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/01/07/improperly-licensed-ky-optometrists-can-keep-practicing-until-next-year-under-new-regs/
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