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Concerning amendment at state legislative level
June 4, 2025
A proposed regulatory amendment in Kentucky threatens the standards of the optometry profession and could harm patient care, if passed, according to a letter issued by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.
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The Kentucky General Assembly is considering an amendment (201 KAR 005:010) to allow substitution of the NBEO Part I exam with the Canadian (OEBC) written exam for optometric licensure. This change could lower licensure standards and risk allowing unqualified candidates to receive licensure in Kentucky, the NBEO says.
NBEO’s Argument for Why the OEBC and NBEO exams are not equivalent
- NBEO’s three-part exam series is designed to work in sequence to ensure candidates possess the knowledge and skills necessary for entry into the profession
- The OEBC exam does not test biomedical sciences and was based upon the scope of practice in Canada. The OEBC exam has not been validated for use in the United States, particularly in a state such as Kentucky that has an expanded scope of practice.
- The OEBC written exam is administered remotely – risking ethics, security and fairness. NBEO utilizes in-person proctoring for its three-part exam series to ensure adherence to ethical standards in a high-stakes licensure assessment.
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