Chapter 420-4 CONDUCT
Any trainee, apprentice, unlicensed optician, or any other
person working for and under a licensed dispensing optician, optometrist, or
physician shall not do optical dispensing unless he/she is working exclusively
for and under the direct supervision of a licensed dispensing optician,
optometrist, or physician and does not hold himself/herself out to the public
generally as a dispensing optician. Direct supervision shall mean daily,
onsite, close contact while optical dispensing is taking place within the
retail establishment.
| (1) |
Unprofessional conduct, fraud, deceit, or
misrepresentation in the practice of optical dispensing shall include but not
be limited to the following:
| (a) |
the use of
the title "doctor", or any abbreviation thereof by an "optical dispenser"
except by a person duly licensed to practice medicine in this State or by a
person who holds an approved degree of doctor of optometry when followed by the
qualification "optometrist"; |
| (b) |
any conduct or advertising of a character tending to deceive or mislead the
public; |
| (c) |
aiding or abetting,
either directly or indirectly in the conduct or advertising of any employer,
firm or associate if such conduct or advertising conflicts with the foregoing
regulations; or continuing the practice of optical dispensing with any such
employer, firm or associate after the optical dispenser has received written
notice from the Board of such conduct or advertising by the firm or
associate; |
| (d) |
directly or
indirectly participating in any manner in the division, assignment, rebate,
splitting or refunding of service fees or cost of completed eye glasses, or
part thereof, with a physician, optometrist or other person or
persons. |
|
| (2) |
A licensed
dispensing optician or Dispensing Optician Apprentice shall display either the
title "Licensed Dispensing Optician" or 'Dispensing Optician Apprentice", or,
the abbreviation "L.D.O." or "D.O.A." on a name tag or other similar form of
identification during times when such person is providing direct patient
care. |
The following code of ethics is hereby adopted by the Board to
govern and as a guide for the conduct of licensed dispensing opticians in the
practice of opticianry in this state. Each licensed optician shall:
| (a) |
Keep the visual welfare of the customer
uppermost at all times; |
| (b) |
Promote
in every possible way the better care of the visual needs of the citizens of
this state; |
| (c) |
Enhance
continuously his/her educational and technical proficiency to the end that
his/her customers shall receive the benefits of all acknowledged improvements
in visual care; |
| (d) |
See that no
worthy person shall lack for opticianry service regardless of the financial
status of the person; |
| (e) |
Advise
each customer whenever consultation with an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist for
professional care seems advisable; |
| (f) |
Hold in confidence all information
concerning a customer and use such data only for the benefit of the
customer; |
| (g) |
Conduct
himself/herself as an exemplary citizen; |
| (h) |
Maintain his office and practice in
harmony with true professional standards; |
| (i) |
Maintain and promote cordial and useful
mutual relationships with members of his profession and other professions for
the interchange of information for the advantage of mankind; and |
| (j) |
Refrain from any exaggeration of a
customer's condition. |
