The bill amends the Louisiana State Board of Optometry Examiners' structure and continuing education requirements for licensed optometrists. It increases the board's membership from five to six members, ensuring that one of the licensed optometrist members is a minority appointee selected by the governor. Additionally, the bill mandates that the governor's appointments reflect diversity in race, gender, ethnicity, and geography. The term for each board member is set at five years, with a limit of three full terms, and it specifies that vacancies must be filled by qualified optometrists or consumers, depending on the position.

In terms of continuing education, the bill stipulates that licensed optometrists must complete twelve hours of education annually, with a higher requirement of sixteen hours for those authorized to diagnose and treat pathology. It also outlines specific conditions for the continuing education, such as requiring half of the hours to focus on ocular pharmacology and disease treatment, and limits online education to six hours. Furthermore, it specifies that the continuing education must be obtained through recognized programs, including those offered by national optometric associations or accredited schools of optometry. Notably, licensed optometrists aged sixty or older are exempt from these continuing education requirements.

Statutes affected:
SB210 Original: 37:1042(A), 37:1042(C)(1), 37:1056(2)
SB210 Engrossed: 37:1042(A), 37:1056(2)
SB210 Reengrossed: 37:1042(A), 37:1056(2)
SB210 Enrolled: 37:1042(A), 37:1056(2)
SB210 Act 194: 37:1042(A), 37:1056(2)