                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REGULATIONS RELATING TO THERAPEUTIC PHARMACEUTICAL AGENTS (§ 54.1-3223)

The Board shall promulgate such regulations governing the treatment of diseases
and abnormal conditions of the human eye and its adnexa with therapeutic
pharmaceutical agents by TPA-certified optometrists as are reasonable and
necessary to ensure an appropriate standard of medical care for patients,
including, but not limited to, determinations of the diseases and abnormal
conditions of the human eye and its adnexa that may be treated by TPA-certified
optometrists and treatment guidelines.
		Such regulations and amendments thereto shall be exempt from the requirements
of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.), except to any extent
that they may be specifically made subject to §§ 2.2-4024, 2.2-4030, and
2.2-4031; the Board&#8217;s regulations shall, however, comply with § 2.2-4103
of the Virginia Register Act (§ 2.2-4100 et seq.). The Board shall, however,
conduct a public hearing prior to making amendments to the treatment guidelines
or the determinations of diseases and abnormal conditions of the eye and its
adnexa that may be treated by TPA-certified optometrists. Thirty days prior to
conducting such hearing, the Board shall give written notice by mail or
electronic means of the date, time, and place of the hearing to all currently
TPA-certified optometrists and any other persons requesting to be notified of
the hearings and publish notice of its intention to amend the regulations in the
Virginia Register of Regulations. During the public hearing, interested parties
shall be given reasonable opportunity to be heard and present information prior
to final adoption of any amendments. Proposed and final amendments shall also be
published, pursuant to § 2.2-4031, in the Virginia Register of Regulations.

HISTORY: 1996, cc. 152, 158; 2004, c. 744; 2023, c. 268; 2025, cc. 391, 408.