(1) Optometrists utilizing pharmaceutical agents shall be held to the same standards of liability as persons licensed as physicians to practice medicine and surgery by the Oregon Medical Board under ORS chapter 677.
(2) Notwithstanding ORS 683.010 (3), an optometrist may remove superficial foreign bodies from the eye and its appendages.
(3)(a) An optometrist treating a patient with antiglaucoma medication shall consult with an ophthalmologist if:
(A) The glaucoma progresses despite the use of two glaucoma medications;
(B) More than two medications are required to control the glaucoma; or
(C) A secondary glaucoma develops.
(b) Glaucoma shall be considered to be progressing if, in comparison to prior examinations, there is a reproducible worsening of the patient’s visual field as measured by standard threshold testing or if there is a worsening of the patient’s optic nerve as measured by direct observation or standard imaging technology or by rising eye pressure despite the use of medication. Glaucoma shall be considered to be under control if target eye pressure, individualized for each patient, is maintained with no abnormal glaucomatous progression.
(c) For purposes of this subsection, a combination medication that contains two pharmacologic agents shall be considered one medication.