After reading the Board’s Screening Policy please complete the screening application form and submit it to the Board for review and approval.
When a screening event takes place in North Carolina and a North Carolina licensed optometrist participates in this event away from their registered office location, the optometrist is not required to obtain a Branch Office License. However, the event must be registered with and approved by the Board and the optometrist cannot receive compensation, financial or otherwise for their participation in the event.
The following conditions related to the event must be met:
(For clarity, “participant” is used to describe the person being screened or examined.)
All public announcements concerning the event should list the following:
Name of the Event (if event is named)
Location of the Event (If mobile clinic is involved, location where vehicle is parked)
Name of Sponsoring Organization(s) (Lions Club, VSP, individual, etc.)
Name of Supporting Organization(s) (Schools, Churches, etc.)
Date(s) and time of the Event
What the Event will provide to the participants (results, vouchers, etc)
Expected number of participates the event could accommodate
Any registration suggested or required by the participants
A good faith effort should be made to invite all licensed optometrists within a geographical region associated with the location of the event. In the unlikely event more optometrists are interested in participating than availability, an effort should be made to utilize everyone at different times or on different days as best possible.
Please indicate what type of event this will be. Primarily, will this be a true screening or is this event intended to generate eyeglass/contact lens prescriptions or other treatments? (See definitions below to help in answering this question.)
DEFINITIONS:
Screening – a vision or eye health screening is a relatively short examination or set of tests that is intended to identify the presence of a vision or eye health problem(s). A screening of this nature is not intended to diagnose abnormalities of the visual or ocular system but rather to pick up defects or findings outside of an acceptable range and then to refer that individual to an eye care professional for further evaluation. A screening is not tended to identify all abnormalities or conditions that a comprehensive eye examination would identify. It is not intended to generate treatment(s), prescriptions for glasses/contact lenses or pharmaceuticals.
Eye Examination - an eye examination (comprehensive or otherwise) is an evaluation of the visual and ocular system and is performed by an eye care specialist. It is intended to identify and diagnose abnormalities, defects or diseases of the visual or ocular system. An eye examination can also identify certain related systemic conditions manifesting with visual/ocular signs and/or symptoms. It is common that prescriptions for eyeglasses/contact lenses or treatment with pharmaceuticals or other treatment modalities may be employed from this type of examination.
The sponsor of the event should attempt to estimate the number of participants their event could accommodate for the period of time the event is scheduled. Every effort should be made to see everyone who presents for an evaluation during the scheduled times of the event. However, if this is not possible, the sponsor should attempt to communicate and advise participants of delays or if the event has reached capacity so the participants do not wait an extended period and not be seen.
The participant’s record generated from the event and the information recorded therein belong to the participant. Therefore, the participants should be provided their record with any recommendations for follow up at the conclusion of their evaluation.
The clinic sponsor(s) should maintain a list of the names and addresses of all those participants seen in the event for a period of at least two (2) years following the date the event was held.
Finally, a fair and equitable plan for referral of participants who “fail” their evaluation should be developed before the event takes place. Probably the best solution is either to provide a list of all providers to the participant or no list. Certainly, the type of abnormality found could generate a specific referral to a eye specialist or other specialist.
April 3, 2012
August 3, 2017