Advanced Procedures Endorsement
Expand your scope of optometric practice with training for advanced procedures in Washington State. Links to the required forms are provided below.
Applications for advanced procedures must be submitted on paper. Print, complete, and mail the following application to the Board of Optometry:
Advanced Procedures Application
Fill out the top section of the Exam Attestation form and send it to your advanced procedure training program to complete:
The Rapid Response Form should be completed by a Consultative Qualified Physician* licensed under RCW 18.71 or RCW 18.57:
*On May 9, 2025, the Washington Medical Commission adopted interpretive statement INS2025-01, titled “'Qualified Physician' Under Optometry Law.” It was filed on May 14, 2025, under WSR #25-11-037.
Read the interpretive statement: INS2025-01
Licensed optometrists can report any advance procedures completed in 2025 by using the following form:
In the 2023 legislative session, Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5389 (PDF), Practice of Optometry- Modifications, was passed into law. Within this bill, it states “the board in coordination with the department of health must analyze and report on the outcomes of the advanced procedures authorized in RCW 18.53.010 during the previous year. The report should include any complications or adverse events related to the performance of advanced procedures. The data should be aggregated and not identify any individual provider or facility and may not reveal any confidential information. The department of health must make this report publicly available on its website."
In 2024, the board passed WAC 246-851-515 (4) stating “A licensed optometrist shall report every advanced procedure authorized under RCW 18.53.010 (2) and include any complications or adverse events during their annual reporting period. The reporting period ends December 31, 2028.”
The board has created a reporting form which can be found here, for licensed optometrists to use to report any advance procedures. As you are completing the advance procedures in 2025, you can report it now. The Department of Health will collect data from completed reports starting in 2026 for the previous year (2025).
On December 15, 2024, the Washington State Board of Optometry adopted rules related to advanced procedures and education standards. Under applicable law, a licensed optometrist may perform advanced procedures, as provided by RCW 18.53.010, after being issued a license endorsement. ( WAC 246-851-515).
If you have additional questions about licensing, visit Optometrist Licensing Information | Washington State Department of Health, or you can reach out to optometry@doh.wa.gov.
