Fixes to optometry licensing issues criticized

Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners Forms Workgroup, Tightens Renewal Testing, But National Groups Say Gaps Remain

April 29, 2026

NEWARK, N.J.—What started as temporary, pandemic-era adjustments by the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners (KBOE) to reduce student travel and in-person testing has become an extended licensing dispute within the Kentucky optometric community. The controversy, which centers on reports that 21 optometry graduates were licensed between 2020 and 2023 without having passed one or more parts of the

Fixes to optometry licensing issues criticized

Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners Forms Workgroup, Tightens Renewal Testing, But National Groups Say Gaps Remain

Fixes to KY optometry licensing problems fall short, say national board, state lawmaker