SB66 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Tom Whatley

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Optometrists, practice of optometry defined, Board of Optometry to regulate, Secs. 20-2-2, 34-22-1 am'd.

Summary

SB 66 would expand the scope of optometry in Alabama, give the Alabama Board of Optometry exclusive authority to regulate the practice, and clarify the board’s status under the state controlled substances law with certain exceptions.

What This Bill Does

It broadens what optometrists can do (more eye exams, treatments, and procedures, plus certain medications). It designates the Alabama Board of Optometry as the sole regulator of optometry and clarifies that the board is a certifying board for the controlled substances act, with limited exceptions. It also sets rules on which narcotics and steroids optometrists may prescribe, and lists allowed and prohibited procedures.

Who It Affects

• Optometrists in Alabama, who gain a broader scope of practice and must follow the board's rules as the sole regulator.
• Patients and Alabama residents, who may receive more eye care services from optometrists and will be subject to board oversight in eye care prescribing and procedures.

Key Provisions

• Expands scope of optometry to include exams, fitting lenses, prescribing spectacle/ contact lens parameters, administering and prescribing pharmaceutical agents related to eye care, removing superficial foreign bodies, and providing certain therapies and lab-ordered testing.
• Allows steroids and certain narcotics (under the Alabama Uniform Controlled Substances Act) with restrictions: no Schedule I or II; Schedule III hydrocodone-containing drugs may be prescribed; other Schedule III drugs limited to prescriptions not exceeding 96 hours.
• Authorizes optometrists to administer epinephrine or Benedryl to counteract anaphylaxis; medications must be approved by the board.
• Authorizes specific eye procedures (e.g., chalazion incision, lid/skin lesion removal, laser capsulotomy, laser trabeculoplasty, laser peripheral iridotomy, corneal crosslinking) and injections (excluding posterior chamber injections for macular/retinal disease).
• Prohibits certain invasive eye surgeries and injections into the eyeball or other procedures requiring general anesthesia.
• The Alabama Board of Optometry becomes the certifying board for optometry under the controlled substances act, with sole authority to define the practice and issue advisory opinions and rulings.
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Optometry, Alabama Board of