Filed as: South Dakota Board of Optometry
The South Dakota Board of Optometry has updated its licensing and practice standards for optometrists in several key ways. Applicants seeking licensure must now pass four specific national board exams (with updated names) within five years of application, and those applying for licensure by endorsement from other states must have passed the Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease exam or be authorized to use therapeutic drugs. Optometrists can now delegate routine tasks to trained unlicensed staff under direct supervision, but cannot delegate work requiring professional judgment, and the optometrist remains responsible for quality of care. New rules authorize optometrists to provide telehealth services after establishing an in-person relationship within the past three years (or in emergencies without prior relationship), though they must disclose limitations, obtain written consent, conduct comprehensive exams before prescribing, maintain special equipment like video recording systems, and cannot prescribe controlled substances via telehealth. The board must inspect new applicants' offices before issuing licenses, though this requirement can be waived if the applicant associates with a recently-inspected established practice or enters military service, and existing licensees must report new practice locations within 60 days for inspection.
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Clarifies licensing standards by updating the national board examination terminology, creates guidelines for delegation, clarifying telehealth standards, updates minimum office equipment, clarifies office inspection requirements, and updates provisions relating to corporate practice registration
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