FOR YOUR INFORMATION..............................MAY 1, 1992

     The Federal Trade Commission has published in the Federal
Register a notice amending its Trade Regulation Rule on
Ophthalmic Practice Rules to remove the portions of the rule that
prohibit state bans on the commercial practice of optometry.  The
portions of the rule which require optometrists and ophthal-
mologists to release eyeglass prescriptions to their patients,
commonly referred to as "Eyeglasses I", remains in effect.
     The deleted provisions of the rule, promulgated in 1989, and
commonly referred to as Eyeglasses II, removed certain state
restrictions on optometrists' commercial practices, such as
limitation on the number of branch offices that optometrists may
own or operate; prohibitions on the practice of optometry in
commercial locations; prohibitions on optometrists' use of trade
names; and prohibitions on affiliations between optometrists and
persons who are not optometrists.  In August 1990, the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned these portions of the
rule.  As part of the Eyeglasses II proceeding, the Commission
also promulgated various modifications to the prescription
release requirements.  These modifications were not overturned by
the court and remain in effect.

     The notice was published in the May 1 Federal Register.

     Copies of the Federal Register notice are available from the
FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th St. and Pennsylvania
Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.  20580; 202-326-2222; TTY 202-326-
2502.

                              # # #

MEDIA CONTACT:      Brenda A. Mack, Office of Public Affairs
                    202-326-2180

STAFF CONTACT:      Renee Kinscheck, Division of Service Industry
                    Practices, 202-326-3283

(EyesII-FR)