Anyone may register a complaint against an optometrist licensed by the North Dakota State Board of Optometry. A complaint may be registered to any Board member, and all legitimate complaints will be addressed by the Board. Complaints should be in written form, and should contain at a minimum, information necessary for the proper processing of the complaint by the Board, including, but not limited to:
- Name, address, phone number of complainant
- Name, address, phone number of the optometrist
- Date, time, and place of occurrence of alleged violation
- Complete description of incident giving rise to the complaint
Consumer\Patient complaints which the Board will act on are:
- Consumer complaints against optometrists regarding alleged violations of the North Dakota Century Code or the Rules and Regulations of the Board, related to the practice of optometry.
- Alleged unauthorized practice of optometry by unlicensed individuals, practice of therapeutic optometry by an unauthorized optometrist, or practice by a licensee while a suspension order or restrictive sanction by the Board is in effect.
- Alleged advertising violations by optometrists.
- Any other act by a licensed optometrist that may be construed as a violation of the North Dakota Practice Act.
Many complaints are filed which do not involve violation of the North Dakota Century Code or the Rules and Regulations of the Board, and fall within the doctor-patient relationship, such as a fee dispute. Complainants are encouraged to address these types of complaints with the optometrist before bringing these items to the attention of the State Board. The Board has no authority to address such patient-doctor relationship disputes.