Hospital optometrist suspended for four months

Optometrist Gareth Long has been suspended from the GOC’s register for four months after a committee found his fitness to practise impaired by reason of misconduct.

The Newcastle-based practitioner added inaccurate and misleading records to conceal that he had incorrectly told a patient that they had cystoid macular oedema.

While working as a hospital optometrist in 2021, the registrant inserted additional information onto patient A’s record, including that they had discussed YAG capsulotomy.

Long also suggested patient A was confused about their visit and had picked up a note of the name of the condition that was intended for a different patient because they were sat next to each other in the waiting room.