West Virginia Code § 30-8-9

Scope of practice
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(a) A licensee may:
(1) Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases and conditions of the human eye and its
appendages within the scope established in this article or associated rules;
(2) Administer or prescribe any drug for topical application to the anterior segment of the
human eye for use in the examination, diagnosis, or treatment of diseases and conditions of
the human eye and its appendages: Provided, That the licensee has first obtained a
certificate; u
(3)(A) Administer or prescribe any drug from the drug formulary, as established by the board
pursuant to §30-8-6 of this code, for use in the examination, diagnosis, or treatment of
diseases and conditions of the human eye and its appeandages: Provided, That the licensee
has first obtained a certificate;
(B) New drugs and new drug indications may be added to the drug formulary by approval of
the board;
(4) Administer epinephrine by injection to treat emergency cases of anaphylaxis or
anaphylactic shock;
(5) Prescribe and dispense contact lenses that contain and deliver pharmaceutical agents
and that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a drug;
(6) Prescribe, fit, apply, replace, duplicate, or alter lenses, prisms, contact lenses, orthoptics,
vision training, vision rehabilitation;
(7) Perform the following procedures:
(A) WRemove a foreign body from the ocular surface and adnexa utilizing a nonintrusive
method;
(B) Remove a foreign body, external eye, conjunctival, superficial, using topical anesthesia;
(C) Remove embedded foreign bodies or concretions from conjunctiva, using topical
anesthesia, not involving sclera;
(D) Remove corneal foreign body not through to the second layer of the cornea using topical
anesthesia;
(E) Epilation of lashes by forceps;
(F) Closure of punctum by plug; and
(G) Dilation of the lacrimal puncta with or without irrigation;
(8) Furnish or provide any prosthetic device to correct or relieve any defects or abnormal
conditions of the human eye and its appendages;
(9) Order laboratory tests rational to the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of a disease
or condition of the human eye and its appendages;
(10) Use a diagnostic or therapeutic laser; and
(11) A licensee may perform those procedures he or she was taught and trained through
schools or colleges of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric
Education, or its successors or equivalents. u
(12) A licensee may perform laser procedures as outlined in section §30-8B-1 et seq. of this
code.
(b) A licensee may not:
(1) Perform surgery except as provided in this article; or by legislative rule;
(2) Use Schedule II controlled substances. However, an oral pharmaceutical certified
licensee may prescribe hydrocodone and hydrocodone containing drugs for a duration of no
more than three days;
(3) Treat systemic disease; ore
(4) Present to the publicL that he or she is a specialist in surgery of the eye.

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