Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 12, March 23, 2024
(a)
Administration and prescription of pharmaceutical agents.
Optometrists who are certified to prescribe and administer pharmaceutical
agents for therapeutic purposes under section
4.1 of the Optometric Practice and
Licensure Act (35 P. S. §
244.4a), may prescribe and administer the
drugs listed in subsection (b) in their practice of optometry under the
following conditions:
(1) The drugs shall be
approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
(2) Over-the-counter medications (per FDA
listing) are fully authorized.
(3)
An optometrist may not administer any drug parenterally.
(4) The treatment undertaken by an
optometrist under this section:
(i) May not
continue beyond 6 weeks from the initiation of treatment unless the prescribing
optometrist documents consultation with a licensed physician.
(ii) May not include beta-blockers or
steroids.
(iii) May not be
prescribed for systemic conditions except as an adjunctive therapy and shall be
limited to the anterior eye structures (and adnexa).
(5) An optometrist may not treat
glaucoma.
(6) An optometrist may
not prescribe or administer a Schedule I or II controlled substance.
(b)
Allowable
pharmaceutical products. Optometrists may prescribe and administer the
following pharmaceutical products or the A-rated generic therapeutically
equivalent drug:
(1) Topical anesthetics.
(i) Proparacaine.
(ii) Benoxinate.
(iii) Tetracaine.
(2) Topical ocular lubricants.
(3) Topical opthalmic dyes and stains.
(i) Fluorescein.
(ii) Rose Bengal.
(iii) Fluorexen.
(4) Topical hyperosmotic agents.
(5) Autonomic drugs-topical only.
(i) Cholinergic agonists.
(A) Pilocarpine nitrate and pilocarpine
hydrochloride-diagnostic use only.
(B) Physostigmine.
(C) DFP
(diisopropylfluorophosphate).
(D)
Echothiopate.
(ii)
Cholinergic antagonists.
(A) Homatropine
hydrobromide.
(B)
Tropicamide.
(C) Atropine
sulfate.
(D) Cyclopentolate
hydrochloride.
(E) Scopolamine
hydrobromide.
(iii)
Adrenergic agonists.
(A) Hydroxyamphetamine
hydrobromide.
(B) Phenylephrine
hydrochloride.
(C)
Tetrahydrazoline.
(D)
Nefazoline.
(E)
Oxymetazoline.
(iv)
Adrenergic antagonists-diagnostic use only.
(A) Dapiprazole.
(B) Thymoxamine.
(6) Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory
drugs-topical only.
(i) Diclofenac.
(ii) Ketorolac.
(iii) Flurbiprofen.
(iv) Suprofin.
(7) Antimicrobial agents.
(i) Antibacterial-topical use only.
(A) Cell wall inhibitors.
(I) Bacitracin.
(II) Cephalosporins.
(III) Penicillins.
(IV) Vancomycin.
(B) Protein synthesis inhibitors.
(I) Aminoglycosides.
(II) Tetracycline.
(III) Erythromycin.
(IV) Chloramphenicol.
(C) Intermediary metabolism inhibitors.
(I) Sodium sulfacetamide and
sulfisoxazole.
(II)
Trimethoprim.
(D) DNA
synthesis inhibitors.
(I)
Ciprofloxacin.
(II)
Norfloxacin.
(III)
Ofloxacin.
(IV)
Levofloxacin.
(E) Cell
membrane permeability.
(I) Polymyxin
B.
(II) Gramicidin.
(ii) Antibacterial-oral.
(A) Cell wall inhibitors.
(I) Penicillins-including in combination with
clavulanic acid.
(II)
Cephalosporins.
(-1-) First
generation-cephalexin and cefadroxil.
(-2-) Second generation-cefaclor and
cefuroxime.
(B)
Protein synthesis inhibitors.
(I)
Tetracycline.
(II)
Doxycycline.
(III)
Erythromycin.
(IV)
Azithromycin.
(iii) Antivirals-topical only.
(A) Idoxurine.
(B) Vidarabine.
(C) Trifluridine.
(iv) Antivirals-oral.
(A) Acyclovir.
(B) Valacyclovir.
(C) Famciclovir.
(v) Antifungal and antiparasitic-topical
only.
(A) Amphotericin B, nystatin,
natamycin.
(B) Miconazole,
ketoconazole, clotrimazole.
(C)
Thiabendazole.
(D) Neomycin and
polymyxin B.
(E)
Paromycin.
(8)
Analgesic drugs-oral and topical.
(i)
Analgesic drugs-oral.
(A) Codeine in
combination with acetaminophen or aspirin.
(B) Hydrocodone.
(C) Pentazocine.
(D) Propoxyphene.
(E) Tramadol.
(ii) Antihistamines and mast cell
stabilizers-topical only.
(A)
Pheniramine.
(B)
Pyrilamine.
(C)
Antazoline.
(D)
Levocarbastine.
(E)
Cromolyn.
(F) Nedocromil.
(G) Lodoxamide.
(H) Olopatadine.
(I) Pemirolast potassium.
(J) Emedastine difumarate.
(K) Azelastine hydrochloride.
(L) Ketotifen fumerate.
The act of December 16, 2002 (P. L. 1950, No. 225) that
amended the Optometric Practice and Licensure Act (63 P. S. §§
244.1-244.12) allows the Secretary of the
Department of Health to approve drugs which may be prescribed by optometrists.
The list of drugs is now being published as a notice in the Pennsylvania
Bulletin.
The provisions of this §
6.1 amended under section 2 of the
Optometric Practice and Licensure Act (63 P. S. §
244.2); and section 2102(g) of The
Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. §
532(g)).
