The Florida Society of Ophthalmology (FSO) is proud to be honored as the 2011 recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's State Affairs Star Award. The FSO was given this special award for its role in developing the informed consent form for cataract.

During the 2011 legislative session the FSO worked closely with the Florida Medical Association (FMA), sponsor of House Bill (HB) 479-Medical Liability Reform, to provide language in this bill that would require the Florida Board of Medicine (BOM) and Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine (BOOM) to adopt by rule a standardized consent form for cataract surgery. The legislation stated that an incident resulting from a recognized risk that is mentioned in the consent form would not be considered a Code 15 adverse incident and, therefore, would not require reporting. HB 479 was passed during the 2011 Legislative Session and signed into law in June 2011. The collaborative effort of FSO and FMA demonstrates the importance of organizations working together and sharing resources.