Updated Jan. 9, 2026
The improperly licensed optometrists identified in recent reporting will be allowed to continue practicing in Kentucky while they work to complete their remaining exams under newly filed emergency regulations, according to the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners. To maintain their licenses, the board said it will permit graduates from the affected period who did not pass all required parts of the national licensure exam to do so by 2027.
According to the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO), allowing these optometrists to keep practicing without having passed all required exam sections could undermine patient safety. “We are deeply concerned that the people of Kentucky are still receiving treatment from improperly licensed optometrists,” said NBEO Executive Director Dr. Jill Bryant.
Original article (published Jan. 6, 2026)
Recent reporting revealed that Kentucky relaxed licensing standards for almost two dozen new optometrists between 2020 and 2023, raising alarms about public safety and exam integrity.
A confidential letter from the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) to the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners identified 21 graduates who obtained state licenses without passing one or more parts of the required three-part national exam. Among them was Dr. Hannah Ellis, daughter of Dr. Joe Ellis, optometrist and former president of the state board who recently resigned. Both practice at Clarkson Eye Care in Benton, Ky.
Waivers Exceeded COVID-Era Allowances
In addition to a part of the test that would have required travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the report showed the waivers included Part 1 of the national exam, a more rigorous portion that the Kentucky board has acknowledged some graduates have had trouble passing. The NBEO letter emphasized that exam passage is important to “uphold the integrity of Kentucky optometric licenses and protect the public from practitioners who have not demonstrated competency.”
Several waiver recipients, including Hannah Ellis, graduated from Pikeville University’s College of Optometry.
While it has not responded to the NBEO letter, the board said it is working on a response to a recent state attorney general’s opinion that found two instances in which it had circumvented state law in order to waive some testing requirements.
Legislators Request Accountability
Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield and chair of the Senate Health Services Committee, said he plans to summon the board for testimony in January. “It’s very disturbing that any agency can just ignore state law,” Meredith said, questioning if some optometrists practice without valid licenses. Kentucky optometrists hold one of the nation’s broadest scopes, including certain eye surgeries following state law changes in 2011.
Minutes from a 2023 meeting showed that the state board began accepting an easier Canadian exam for Part 1 of the national exam, which tests students on science and medicine. Meredith said he was not aware of this decision and called it very concerning. “They don’t have the authority to do that,” he said.