Key Takeaways

  • Kansas law now allows qualified optometrists to perform additional procedures, including certain minor surgical treatments, diagnostic procedures and select laser therapies such as capsulotomy and trabeculoplasty.

  • Optometrists must meet training and credentialing standards set by the Kansas Board of Examiners in Optometry before performing newly authorized procedures.

  • Credentialed optometrists must submit quarterly procedure reports to the state board, which will publish annual public summaries beginning July 1, 2027.

Kansas lawmakers have approved legislation that updates state optometry law, expanding the scope of services optometrists can provide and establishing new credentialing and reporting requirements.

House Bill 2223, signed into law March 13, 2026, modifies several provisions governing the practice of optometry in Kansas, including definitions, training requirements, and oversight mechanisms for certain procedures.

The legislation broadens the statutory definition of optometry and allows qualified optometrists to perform additional diagnostic and therapeutic procedures within their scope of practice. These include certain minor eye procedures, diagnostic techniques and some laser-based treatments, while still maintaining restrictions on more complex surgical procedures such as retinal surgery and intraocular implants.

Among the guidelines outlined, the legislation allows optometrists to perform:

  • The removal of non-perforating foreign bodies from the clear, dome-shaped outer layer of the eye that covers the iris and pupil (cornea), the mucous membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids (conjunctiva), or eyelids
  • The removal of eyelashes;
  • The scraping of the cornea for diagnostic tests, smears, or cultures;
  • The dilation, probing, irrigation, or closing of the tear drainage structure of the eye;
  • The expression of small, dome-shaped lesions that appear on the inner surface of the eyelid (conjunctival follicles) or small, fluidfilled sacs that form on the clear membrane covering the white of the eye (conjunctival cysts);
  • The removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue (debridement) from the thin, transparent layer of cells that covers the outer surface of the cornea (corneal epithelium);
  • The making of a small incision in the eyelid to drain swelling of the meibomian gland, resulting in a cystlike lump (chalazion), and removal of the contents (incision and curettage of a chalazion);
  • The removal and biopsy of skin lesions without known cancer growth or tumor (malignancy);
  • The performance of laser procedures after cataract surgery to create a small opening in the cloudy capsule to restore clear vision (laser capsulotomy); and
  • The performance of laser treatment for certain glaucomas to improve fluid drainage in the eye to lower intraocular pressure (laser trabeculoplasty).

The complete guidelines, including the exlusions from the scope of practice, can be found here.

Under the new law, optometrists who wish to perform newly authorized procedures must meet specific credentialing requirements established by the Kansas Board of Examiners in Optometry. The board will set standards for training and determine which procedures may be performed by credentialed practitioners.

The bill also introduces a reporting requirement for credentialed optometrists performing certain procedures. Practitioners must submit quarterly reports to the board that include their name, the number of procedures performed, the location where each procedure took place and patient outcomes. Optometrists will certify the accuracy of each report.

Beginning July 1, 2027, the board must compile the information into an annual report available to the public, with all personally identifiable patient information removed. The reporting requirement is scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2031.

HB 2223 was introduced by the House Committee on Health and Human Services at the request of Representative Buehler on behalf of the Kansas Optometric Association. Supporters said the measure would modernize state law and allow optometrists to practice to the full extent of their education and training.

During committee hearings, proponents included representatives from the Kansas Chamber, the Kansas Optometric Association and optometrists practicing in the state. They argued the legislation would improve access to eye care and better align Kansas law with the training optometrists receive.

Opponents—including representatives of the Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons—raised concerns that the bill would expand the scope of practice too far by allowing non-physicians to perform procedures they consider surgical in nature. Some also questioned whether optometrists receive sufficient training in areas such as laser use.

Despite the debate, the measure ultimately passed both chambers of the Kansas Legislature and received approval from the governor, officially becoming law this month.