SECTIONS 124111-124112 - California Statutes

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

SECTION 124111-124112

124111. (a) The Newborn Eye Pathology Screening Task Force is
established and shall advise the State Department of Health Services
on the newborn eye pathology screening protocol.
(b) The task force shall be composed of the following 12 members:
(1) The Director of Health Services as a nonvoting ex officio
member.
(2) The 11 voting members shall be appointed by the Director of
Health Services as follows:
(A) One ophthalmologist with a background in or knowledge of
providing services to infants with retinoblastoma.
(B) One pediatric ophthalmologist who sees general pediatric
patients and is a designee of the American Association for Pediatric
Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
(C) One academic pediatrician with a background in or knowledge of
infant eye pathology screening.
(D) One parent representing families with a child with blindness
or other ocular abnormalities affecting vision.
(E) One representative from the California Academy of Family
Physicians.
(F) One representative recommended by the State Department of
Health Services.
(G) One representative from the American Academy of Pediatrics,
California District.
(H) One community pediatrician with a background in or experience
with the routine instillation of dilating eye drops as part of red
reflex screening.
(I) One nurse with a background in or knowledge of the current
department program for the instillation of eye drops to prevent
conjunctivitis.
(J) One retinal specialist with research experience in detecting
the signs of treatable congenital eye disease.
(K) One optometrist with a background in or experience with pupil
dilation in infants and red reflex screening for intraocular
pathology.
(c) Task force members shall serve without compensation, but shall
be reimbursed for necessary travel expenses incurred in the
performance of the duties of the task force.

124112. (a) On or before June 30, 2002, the department shall adopt
the protocol developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics to
optimally detect the presence of treatable causes of blindness in
infants by two months of age. If a protocol is not developed on or
before June 30, 2002, the department, in consultation with
representatives of the Newborn Eye Pathology Task Force, shall
establish a protocol to optimally detect the presence of treatable
causes of blindness in infants by two months of age on or before
January 1, 2003.
(b) If the American Academy of Pediatrics develops a protocol to
optimally detect the presence of treatable causes of blindness by two
months of age after the adoption of the protocol developed by the
department, the department shall conform its protocol to the protocol
adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
(c) Nothing in the section shall be construed to supersede the
clinical judgment of the licensed health care provider.
(d) Any screening examination recommended pursuant to subdivision
(a) shall not be conducted on a newborn if a parent or guardian of
the newborn objects to the examination on the grounds that the
examination conflicts with the religious beliefs or practices of the
parent or guardian.