Optometrist Arminder Panesar has been placed on an 18 month conditional registration order by a General Optical Council fitness to practise committee.
The committee said it received a complaint in June 2013 from a patient about a visit to the registrant in March the same year. The patient had been concerned about poor vision at night, inability to see facial features clearly and lights being too bright. Panesar was alleged to have told her that symptoms would improve with a new prescription. In April 2013, at a visit to another practice, the patient was diagnosed with cataracts.
The GOC’s Investigation Committee decided that the registrant should undergo a performance assessment at his Bath practice. Assessors found that the registrant displayed poor standards of hygiene with regard to cleaning his equipment and hand washing. They noted that he did not wash his hands before manipulating patients’ eyelids, instilling drugs or handling a Tonosafe probe.
In addition, assessors had concerns over certain aspects of the registrant’s refraction technique, multiple use of single dose ophthalmic drugs, understanding of glaucoma and record keeping.
The committee was satisfied that the deficiencies identified presented a risk to the public, but said that they could be addressed with stringent conditions.