LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Kentucky’s optometry board is trying to address a scandal after years of issuing waivers for optometry graduates who couldn’t pass their national exams.

The board reversed course earlier this year. But at a public hearing on the new rules, the national testing group said the reforms still carve out loopholes.

Nevada and New Hampshire say they will not accept the testing exceptions Kentucky has proposed and won’t recognize Kentucky optometry licenses as equivalent to their own.

21 Kentucky optometrists have been under scrutiny.

At Wednesday’s public hearing, the state gave the public under 15 minutes to make their case.

Public voices opposition at brief hearing

In the conference room of a Holiday Inn Express, two members of the public voiced their opposition to Kentucky’s proposed reforms. Both are from the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.

“The KBOE has not taken the straightforward and obvious path to ensure public safety,” NBEO Secretary/Treasurer Daniel Taylor said.

“The Kentucky optometry board has lost its way, putting patient safety at risk and placing a lower priority on public health than on upholding competency standards,” said NBEO Executive Director Jill Bryant.

Kentucky reversed itself after a series of reports about optometrists who were granted licenses with waivers. Some didn’t pass a single part of the national exams.

In February, the state said optometrists with these waivers would have to stop performing laser procedures and would be dropping a Canadian substitute test. But it did not prohibit these doctors from practicing and proposed other alternative tests.

Daniel Taylor said these tests have been standardized across the country for a simple reason.

“If you were to see an optometrist in Kentucky, and then go across the border and see an optometrist in another state or move to another state, you would have to check with the local standards to see what those levels of quality were,” Taylor said.

No one else spoke. The optometry board did not respond, saying it will file its response as part of the process, taking this feedback into consideration.

A letter from NBEO to the state revealed the group had questioned how 21 optometrists had gotten their licenses based on their lack of testing records.

The state board denied WAVE’s records request for another letter NBEO sent to the board in the fall. The attorney general’s office is currently reviewing our appeal.

Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.

Women’s Basketball

March 23, 2026

Kentucky vs. West Virginia – Second round NCAA tournament extended highlights

March 23, 2026

Watch the highlights from No. 5 Kentucky and No. 4 West Virginia’s matchup in the second round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

The top-seeded teams dominated the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with the lone double-digit seed advancing to the Sweet 16 being Texas, one of the most iconic brands in college sports.

Texas being a “Cinderella” in 2025-26 is fitting for where men’s college basketball is as a sport amid the name, image and likeness era. The lone double digit seed to reach the Sweet 16 last season was Arkansas, which is led by one of the greatest coaches ever in John Calipari and was riddled with talent.

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No. 12 seed High Point gave its best shot at breaking that mold on Saturday, March 21, before ultimately falling to No. 4 Arkansas 94-88 in a highly competitive game. No. 11 VCU also had a chance to be the latest mid-major to reach the Sweet 16, but was dominated by No. 3 Illinois 76-55.

Only 16 teams remain, with just one weekend before the Final Four returns to Indianapolis. Here’s a look at our five worst moments of the NCAA Tournament’s second round in 2026:

5 worst moments of NCAA Tournament second round

Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly made an all-time shot for the win against No. 4 Nebraska in the second round, but the ball rimmed out after multiple bounces off the backboard and rim.

Tanner was already having a career performance, as he finished with 27 points and four assists with four steals. With 2.2 seconds he caught the inbounds pass on the opposite side of the court before heaving it from behind halfcourt, which barely missed and resulted in Vanderbilt’s entire bench falling to their knees in disappointment.

Nebraska’s Braden Frager hit a game-winning driving layup to hand his school its second-ever NCAA Tournament win and first Sweet 16 appearance. Unfortunately, one of Vanderbilt or Nebraska was headed home after one of the best second-round games in recent memory.

“We were in an inch away from being in the Sweet 16,” Vandy coach Mark Byington said. “It’s going to take a while for us to get over.”

Florida was shocked by No. 9 seed Iowa in the second round, falling 73-72 after Alvaro Folgueiras hit a game-winning 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining. It’s a brutal finish to the season for the Gators, who played their way back onto the 1-seed line after winning 16 of their last 17 regular-season games.

Florida looked like a top national championship contender, especially with its impressive frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. But sometimes March Madness strikes, and unfortunately it did for Florida before the first weekend came to a close.

Iowa ended the game on a 7-3 run, which was ultimately the difference in the back-and-forth, highly competitive game.

Kentucky makes the bad kind of history

While Kentucky survived a scare against Santa Clara in the first round, it took a wild shot from Otega Oweh at the buzzer to force overtime. The Wildcats kept within distance of Iowa State in the first half of their game on March 22, before the Cyclones pulled away for a dominant 82-63 win.

Kentucky played sloppy basketball against Iowa State, setting a program record for most turnovers (20) in an NCAA Tournament game. The 19-point loss was also Kentucky’s largest loss in a March Madness game since 1972.

Second-year coach Mark Pope is facing a pivotal offseason, especially with Oweh exhausting his eligibility.

David Punch’s nose

TCU star David Punch took a shot to the face from Duke’s Cameron Boozer late in the second half of a close game on Saturday, March 21, and wasn’t the same after returning to the game. Boozer was called for a Flagrant 1 on the play, although Punch was unable to shoot the free-throws as he returned to the bench with blood flowing down his face.

Punch Jr. briefly went to the locker room, missing the remainder of the first half before returning in the final 20 minutes of the game.

TCU trailed 38-34 at halftime, before falling apart and losing 81-58 to Duke to end its season. And despite coming off a 16-point, 13-rebound performance against Ohio State in the first round, he was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting against the Blue Devils.

High Point’s season comes to an end

High Point’s program-best season came to an end against No. 4 Arkansas, as it fell 94-88 after winning its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round. The Panthers dominated the regular season, finishing the regular season 30-4 with a Big South Conference Tournament win.

Chase Johnston became the latest March Madness legend after helping High Point to a win over Wisconsin, and Rob Martin channeled his inner-Kemba Walker with 30 points and five assists in High Point’s loss to Arkansas.

High Point was putting on for mid-major programs in the NCAA Tournament and hopes to continue its momentum fresh off a respect-earning trip.