Convicted UK optometrist given two-year suspended sentence

An Ipswich Crown Court judge sentenced locum optometrist Ms Honey Rose to a two-year suspended prison term and 200 hours of community work.The sentence was handed down following the death of Ms Rose’s eight-year-old patient, Mr Vincent Barker, for which Ms Rose was convicted in July this year.Mr Barker died in July 2012 of hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid on the brain, approximately five months after receiving a routine eye test from Ms Rose at Boots Opticians in Ipswich. The condition would have caused bilateral papilloeda, which the prosecution argued Ms Rose should have detected. The prosecution allege that Vinnie’s death was preventable and would have been prevented had the defendant, Ms Rose, done her job properly, reports cited the prosecution as saying. …the defendant’s failure to detect the swollen optic discs and refer Vinnie on for further investigation was grossly negligent on her part. A statent by the UK’s Association of Optometrists said the case had resulted in devastating consequences for all involved . It added that this was the first criminal case of its kind in the UK to involve an optometrist on clinical matters.The association indicated that Ms Rose was seeking a leave of appeal, and that she was also facing an ongoing fitness-to-practise hearing with the General Optical Council.