[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6544205,"mediaKeyId","3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501","parentId",3798683,"title","Board votes to support amended sunset bill SB 776; discusses email requirement and eyeglass prescription issues","audioSeconds",2395,"startMs",2189000,"endMs",4584000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501&start=2189&end=4584","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501/thumbnail_2189000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6544205/California/Board-votes-to-support-amended-sunset-bill-SB-776-discusses-email-requirement-and-eyeglass-prescription-issues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544205-950bd3207fada718ac48aeb034dfc254/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514010&Signature=Ava67xYOeWmzh5gBNUb3OXW~w8XuCYOeCB7jb8ZfYoImP5cKNLT1dNIJ6RTluJazEBg4lnXUJIdNcwberRnOg-pddvSCqO1IiPdAEMpJ0Kf4WbYOt9ZlBIlLsfl7U4K6UVJhEECoRTEFUlqnrxueHjEbyjnKznoL~Z98Z1C~uy~SSa5lgNki2cGZQRXOpSQ7oCUG7~itGyhCcJAXrkFb4FyiP4zmupEu4MGI~-rJnWnqrs2hZnb~nf5YnNYfSX9piV6lLGCSR-lYV~0OpvkEs4MW3ScChWFIPMIFcTDaAIWpaoTjotwOwoamaSrYg0tbisF4a7hnLGlEqvi05RUPYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Respiratory Care Board of California","date","2025-06-10T21:52:23Z","article","The California State Board of Optometry voted to support SB 776 (Sen. Ashby), the board’s sunset bill as currently drafted, and discussed multiple proposed policy changes and stakeholder concerns that remain under negotiation.

Board action: Dr. Wong made a motion to support SB 776 in its current form; the motion passed on a roll‑call vote with seven ayes (Member Sue, Member Clepa, Dr. Pruett, Dr. Wong, Dr. Bragg, Vice President Linden and President Jeffrey Garcia). The board asked the executive officer to continue discussions with legislative staff and stakeholders on outstanding policy items and to report back at the July 11 meeting.

Substantive issues discussed: Executive Officer Gregory Pruden summarized amended provisions under negotiation and several changes already negotiated. Key items in the current bill and in active stakeholder discussions included:

- Email authority: The bill seeks authority to require applicants and licensees to provide an email address. Board members discussed whether to require licensees to update that email within a specified period (for example, mirroring the 30‑day update requirement that applies to mailing addresses). The board directed staff to raise the question with legislative staff and stakeholders and return with findings.

- Mobile optometric office reporting and cap: Earlier language had capped mobile optometric offices at 12; that cap has been removed in the current draft.

- Mandatory reserve level: The bill increases the maximum reserve level for the board from 6 months to 24 months, aligning it with most other DCA programs.

- Probationary registration for opticianry: The draft adds probationary registration authority for opticianry, which the board supported as restoring authority that existed when opticianry was previously housed within another agency.

- Nonresident ophthalmic lens dispenser scope and prescription verification: A stakeholder (1‑800 Contacts) asked that eyeglass prescription verification rules be aligned with contact‑lens rules to make eyeglass prescriptions easier to use for online sellers, and suggested prescribers provide pupillary distance (PD) measurements to patients. The board discussed whether PD or other fit measurements should be required as part of an eye exam.

Public comment: A representative of 1‑800 Contacts argued the 2021 expansion to include spectacles was implemented with leftover contact‑lens language and urged reverting the spectacle verification language to the contact‑lens model. The commenter said online orders in California take longer than other states and asked that prescribers be required to provide prescriptions or related data to designees to facilitate online transactions. Christine Schultz of the California Optometric Association said the association supports the bill overall but opposes the proposed 1‑800 Contacts amendments, arguing PD is typically measured by opticians, that PD alone is insufficient to guarantee a correct fit, that adding PD to the prescription risks misleading consumers and shifting liability to prescribers, and that the Federal Trade Commission considered and rejected a PD requirement.

Follow up and next steps: Counsel recommended a straightforward support position for sunset legislation that maintains the board’s existence. The board supported the bill as currently drafted and tasked the executive officer to continue negotiation with legislative staff and stakeholders, including exploring an email‑update requirement and reporting back to the board at its July 11 meeting.

The motion passed and the board moved to the next agenda item.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","California State Board of Optometry- Board Meeting- June 9, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The California State Board of Optometry voted to support SB 776, the board’s sunset bill, and discussed outstanding policy changes including email‑address authority, reserve‑level changes, and a stakeholder request to require pupillary distance on eyeglass prescriptions.","taxTitle","Respiratory Care Board of California, Boards and Commissions, Executive, California","taxId",76751,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6544209,"Board staff outline strategic‑plan timeline, new contact form and fingerprint portal",1172,855000,2027000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501&start=855&end=2027","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501/thumbnail_855000.jpg","/articles/6544209/California/Board-staff-outline-strategicplan-timeline-new-contact-form-and-fingerprint-portal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544209-082b3fe1b46d2d6fca44ac52c0be13fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514010&Signature=NQYYUUnekuQZOpYbcet4A3eRw9O70jRlTgAJ4fC6xhGT3ZUfrtqOMdptwwmwvza5xpn4Gtl348MEZu3XcBELXnvEBSvdQCEP13dj03zFzej4NfkmvL1cJh6zf1yhmgDOzpVowF1tESKN3MEsvvBiNO-iFQdQPzjafSjnGSazXDYiV5ku2PGEqj2huWjgT4qleHJyhp5~D~kBhd23006GCqS1JwBglFL7iUwRfeFamOPkOM1cKNE7RtXDL2RQJwl~6oEo3E1YkHj54zBLPxFIdx8tOJFaHbeaGIkkAJR9DRehDxo1OTQym3Oo9lN7s4VKoSqnoxIovte3uYKfh91Y1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The California State Board of Optometry received an update on its current and future strategic plan and on two information‑technology changes that staff say will improve security and customer service: a centralized contact form and a fingerprint request portal.

Executive Officer Gregory Pruden told the board the current strategic plan — developed in 2020–21 and amended about a year ago — includes six goal areas, 30 objectives and 109 tasks; the board’s attached tracker indicates approximately 72% of those tasks have been completed. Pruden said the board will conduct a strategic‑planning session at the October meeting, led by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) SOLID unit, and that members should expect outreach for interviews and a stakeholder survey to inform the next four‑year plan.

On IT changes, Pruden said the board replaced many published email addresses on its website with a dropdown contact form modeled on the Board of Registered Nursing’s form. \"This contact form has been modeled after what exists, for the board [of] registered nursing, and it's been deployed and is live now on our website,\" he said, explaining the form routes inquiries by topic to the appropriate staff mailbox to reduce phishing and improve routing.

Pruden also described a fingerprint request portal, modeled on a system used by the Board of Registered Nursing, to streamline live scan and hard‑card fingerprint requests. The portal will let applicants specify whether they need a live scan form or a physical hard card, provide a delivery address and reduce manual mail steps. Pruden said the board mailed 55 hard cards in calendar year 2024 and has mailed fewer than half that number so far this year; posting printable hard‑card instructions could eliminate one mailing step and reduce staff manual tracking.

Why it matters: The changes are intended to reduce phishing/spam problems, improve response times to applicants and licensees, and reduce manual errors in tracking fingerprint requests. The strategic‑planning work will set objectives and tasks for the next four years.

Board discussion and follow up: Members asked about whether the contact form provides an automatic acknowledgment to senders; Pruden said he will follow up. Members also asked whether hard‑card submissions include a law‑enforcement certification or signature; staff confirmed law‑enforcement agencies sign the hard cards. Pruden said the portal and related application changes will take a few months to implement and that staff will return with updates.

The board heard no public comment on these items at the meeting. Staff said the board will receive more information about the interview agenda and timing for board member interviews from the DCA SOLID team before the October planning session.

The board moved on to later agenda items and scheduled further discussion as work progresses.","The board’s executive officer briefed members on the upcoming strategic‑planning process, a department‑wide contact form to reduce phishing, and a fingerprint request portal to streamline license processing and reduce mailing of physical hard cards.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6544213,"California optometry board adopts rule allowing radio‑frequency devices for dry‑eye treatment",567,324000,891000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501&start=324&end=891","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3798683-3b3dd5d66e3db979a725e610052b8501/thumbnail_324000.jpg","/articles/6544213/California/California-optometry-board-adopts-rule-allowing-radiofrequency-devices-for-dryeye-treatment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544213-25b2af221050fba602a458afdface44a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514010&Signature=oVHrhV7RS7EIpqts2WkyYH4PkzaKkl4Wk2UNPVZFSskBTHRrPMqV0VN9MiDTexMLmDmRx4KRCYhD4~0VaQ8ng70mcN66knQsSnjnQ3Na8biRhP2Z1ADa5QfYO8-zFKi0QZk6JmTip5x1GY64vWHVLqhrNS3sF299ibvMtO-JNIIk8o8SHvy~Z31uk6bo87AAcvRzB-8HIh9vLozfcc5orOBYE7mWmPhbpuG-NdvuaJ-Y9VOKlVjWM1rqp~WFXjQbbA3ISMtJHmSp-P62XGo3IQfI0sTw0qH4qyjy8Lz8fwYkg7EwG7Df6LM~stDwCp8MHsvmmJKc12d4ZJ2KmuvjNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The California State Board of Optometry voted unanimously to adopt a regulation authorizing licensed optometrists to use radio‑frequency (RF) technology to treat dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction.

The board adopted a motion to approve the proposed responses to comments and to instruct the executive officer to take all steps necessary to complete the rulemaking process, including allowing the executive officer to make technical or non‑substantive changes and to adopt section 1572 as noticed in the modified text. Member Klepa made the motion. In a roll‑call vote the board recorded seven ayes and the motion passed.

Why it matters: The new regulation changes the scope of practice for California optometrists by specifically authorizing the clinical use of RF devices for a subset of patients with dry eye disease. The board had previously approved the initial regulatory proposal on May 30, 2024, and amended the text after further comment and review.

What the board heard: Executive Officer Gregory Pruden summarized the rulemaking history, noting the original 45‑day comment period, a subsequent board review on Feb. 14 and a modified proposal approved on April 11 that then circulated in a 15‑day comment period (April 18–May 5). Pruden told the board it received three comments during the 15‑day period: two letters in opposition (from the California Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and the California Medical Association) and one in support (from the California Optometric Association).

The board also heard public comment from Lucas Evanston speaking for the California Medical Association, who argued that \"RF technology alters tissue through neocologenesis. And because of that, the use of RF technology constitutes surgery under the California Optometry Practice Act and is excluded from the practice of optometry.\" Member Klepa also commented on the record, saying the submission \"cites 2 various cases, which seems to support the board's position,\" attributing value to counsel's analysis.

Board action and implementation: The motion adopted the proposed responses to comments, authorized the executive officer to complete the rulemaking package and to make technical, non‑substantive edits, and to adopt Title 16, California Code of Regulations, Article 11.5, Section 1572 as noticed in the modified text. The board recorded a roll call with Member Sue, Member Clepa, Dr. Pruett, Dr. Wong, Dr. Bragg, Vice President Linden and President Jeffrey Garcia each voting aye; the board announced the motion passed.

Background and next steps: The adopted regulation follows a multi‑stage rulemaking process that included two public comment periods and internal revisions. The executive officer will file the final rulemaking documents and make any permissible technical adjustments before finalization. The board will continue standard regulatory implementation tasks and may provide additional guidance to licensees during future meetings.

The board adjourned and noted its next meeting on July 11.","The California State Board of Optometry voted to adopt a regulation authorizing licensed optometrists to use radio‑frequency technology to treat dry eye related to meibomian gland dysfunction after reviewing a 15‑day public comment period that produced mixed views.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board votes to support amended sunset bill SB 776; discusses email requirement and eyeglass prescription issues

Board staff outline strategic‑plan timeline, new contact form and fingerprint portal

California optometry board adopts rule allowing radio‑frequency devices for dry‑eye treatment