Opinion ID: 2114349
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Relevant Scientific Field

Text: A review of the evidence presented reveals that HGN is a physical sign that reveals, among other things, the existence of CNS depression. Thus, the underlying basic science is the physiology of the CNS. Practitioners such as neurologists, ophthalmologists, and optometrists are trained to perform this test in a clinical setting and to observe the results and, in the case of physicians, to diagnose and treat conditions that cause nystagmus. As noted above, in the 1970s, the NHTSA sponsored research by psychologist Dr. Marcelline Burns of the Southern California Research Institute into the reliability of field-sobriety testing. Based on her research, which found a correlation between the ingestion of alcohol and the presence of HGN, law enforcement agencies adopted this clinical test for use as a field-sobriety test. Lebron and Page testified that HGN testing is generally accepted within the law enforcement community as a field-sobriety test. Law enforcement, however, is not a scientific field. Therefore, general acceptance within law enforcement circles cannot be the basis for finding scientific evidence admissible under Frye. The trial court found that the relevant scientific fields to which the HGN test belongs are optometry and medicine, specifically the medical specialty of ophthalmology. We agree with the trial court that the relevant scientific fields that embrace the testing for and observation of HGN include medicine, ophthalmology, and optometry. Research and expert opinion in other scientific or medical fields, such as neurophysiology, might also be relevant. Thus, the question of general acceptance must be determined from the testimony of experts and the literature in these scientific fields, and not from the testimony or writings of law enforcement officers or agencies. [3] Similarly, despite Dr. Henson's years of experience, his professional credentials do not qualify him as an expert on the general acceptance of HGN testing for the purpose of alcohol impairment within these scientific fields.