Conditions placed on OO

An optometrist who initially failed to spot a child's case of retinoblastoma has been told by a General Optical Council fitness to practise committee that he must work under conditional registration for 18 months pending further determination.

James Toal was alleged to have told the mother of a two and a half year old child there was nothing wrong or abnormal after she noticed 'glaring' in the child's eye. It was also alleged that the registrant was initially reluctant to see the patient again, despite the mother's belief that the problem was more obvious. A second eye test under dilation was said to have shown a 'white pupil'. The patient was later diagnosed with retinoblastoma and blindness in his right eye after a hospital referral.