                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

CONTINUING EDUCATION (§ 54.1-3219)

A. As a prerequisite to renewal of a license or reinstatement of a license, each
optometrist shall be required to complete 20 hours of continuing education
relating to optometry, as approved by the Board, each year. A licensee who
completes more than 20 hours of continuing education in a year shall be allowed
to carry forward up to 10 hours of continuing education for the next annual
renewal cycle. The courses shall include, but need not be limited to, the
utilization and application of new techniques, scientific and clinical advances,
and new achievements of research. The Board shall prescribe criteria for
approval of courses of study. Fulfillment of education requirements shall be
certified to the Board upon a form provided by the Board and shall be submitted
by each licensed optometrist at the time he applies to the Board for the renewal
of his license. The Board may waive individual requirements in cases of
certified illness or undue hardship.

B. Of the 20 hours of continuing education relating to optometry required
pursuant to subsection A:

   1. At least 10 hours shall be obtained through real-time, interactive
   activities, including in-person or electronic presentations, provided that
   during the course of the presentation, the licensee and the lecturer may
   communicate with one another;

   2. No more than two hours may consist of courses related to recordkeeping,
   including coding for diagnostic and treatment devices and procedures or the
   management of an optometry practice, provided that such courses are not
   primarily for the purpose of augmenting the licensee&#8217;s income or
   promoting the sale of specific instruments or products; and

   3. For TPA-certified optometrists, at least 10 hours shall be in the areas of
   ocular and general pharmacology, diagnosis and treatment of the human eye and
   its adnexa, including treatment with new pharmaceutical agents, or new or
   advanced clinical devices, techniques, modalities, or procedures.

C. Nothing in this section shall prevent or limit the authority of the Board to
require additional hours or types of continuing education as part or in lieu of
disciplinary action.

HISTORY: 1976, c. 32, § 54-394.1; 1988, c. 765; 2016, c. 89; 2023, c. 268.