Assembly Bill 1173 aims to enhance the regulations surrounding spectacle lens prescriptions provided by optometrists and the disciplinary actions enforced by the Optometry Examining Board. The bill codifies that failing to release, at no cost to the patient, a copy of the patient's spectacle lens or contact lens prescription after the completion of contact lens fitting and initial follow-up care constitutes unprofessional conduct. Additionally, it mandates that the board define the minimum requirements for such prescriptions, specifically requiring that a spectacle lens prescription includes a measurement of the patient's pupillary distance, which is not currently mandated by existing rules.

Furthermore, the bill introduces provisions allowing the Optometry Examining Board to impose forfeitures of up to $1,000 for each violation of the specified unprofessional conduct. This can be applied in addition to or instead of other disciplinary actions. The title of the relevant statute, 449.07, is also repealed and recreated to reflect these changes, and a new section (449.08 (1) (f)) is created to explicitly outline the requirement for releasing prescriptions.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 449.07(title), 449.07