Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-3. Assessment mechanisms
An assessment mechanism to conduct an eye assessment or to generate a prescription for contact lenses or visual aid glasses in Rhode Island shall:
(1) Provide synchronous or asynchronous interaction between the patient and the provider;
(2) Collect the patient’s medical history, previous prescription for corrective eyewear, and length of time since the patient’s most recent in-person comprehensive eye health examination;
(3) Disclose to patients and require acceptance in advance as a term of use that:
(i) This assessment is not a replacement of an in-person comprehensive eye health examination;
(ii) This assessment cannot be used to generate an initial prescription for contact lenses or a follow-up or first renewal of the initial prescription;
(iii) This assessment may only be used if the patient has had an in-person comprehensive eye health examination within the previous twenty-four (24) months if the patient is conducting an eye assessment or receiving a prescription for visual aid glasses; and
(iv) The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises contact lens wearers to visit an eye doctor one time a year or more often if needed.
History of Section.
P.L. 2022, ch. 318, § 1, effective June 29, 2022; P.L. 2022, ch. 319, § 1, effective June 29, 2022.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-3
- Assessment mechanism: means automated or virtual equipment, application, or technology designed to be used on a telephone, a computer, or an internet-accessible device that may be used either in person or remotely to conduct an eye assessment, and includes artificial intelligence devices and any equipment, electronic or nonelectronic, that is used to perform an eye assessment. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-2
- Contact lens: means any lens placed directly on the surface of the eye, regardless of whether or not it is intended to correct a visual defect, including any cosmetic, therapeutic, or corrective lens. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-2
- Eye assessment: means an assessment of the ocular health and visual status of a patient that may include, but is not limited to, objective refractive data or information generated by an assessment mechanism or an automated testing device, including an autorefractor, in order to establish a medical diagnosis for the correction of vision disorders. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-2
- Prescription: means a handwritten or electronic order issued by a provider that includes:
(i) In the case of contact lenses, all information required by the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, 15 U. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-2
- Provider: means a healthcare professional licensed under chapter 35. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-2
- United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8
- Visual aid glasses: means eyeglasses, spectacles, or lenses designed or used to correct visual defects, including spectacles that may be adjusted by the wearer to achieve different types or levels of visual correction or enhancement. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-97-2