A 34-year-old 'patient A' asked for an emergency appointment to see Nicole Threlfall at the Makerfield Eye Centre, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, as his vision in the right eye was deteriorating. Hours later he discovered he needed an emergency operation.
Warrington-based Threlfall, denied serious professional misconduct when she appeared at the GOC hearing last week.
Patient A said Threlfall told him she could not see anything wrong apart from a large floater. At the time he said he was experiencing a blind spot in his right eye and described symptoms of flashing lights and black dots that had got progressively worse.
After the July 12, 2002 appointment he remained concerned and phoned NHS Direct. On giving the symptoms he was told to go to casualty where a hospital eye specialist said he needed surgery for retinal detachment the next day.
It was claimed that Threlfall failed to carry out adequate tests on patient A's right eye and failed to adequately record the eye examination.
She admitted she did not dilate the pupil or carry out a visual field test, but denied poor record-keeping and commented she examined the fundus adequately. She said it was not necessary to dilate the pupil as she had already decided an ophthalmologist's opinion was needed and referred patient A to Wigan Hospital.
Threlfall, who has practised for more than 20 years, described patient A as abnormally anxious which was why she did not carry out further tests. 'He did not give me the symptoms that he said he did,' she said. 'The floater was large and the far periphery was difficult to examine thoroughly because the floater kept getting in the way. I thought I'd acted with just concern for him to get him seen as soon as possible.'
She did not carry out more tests as 'I knew I was going to refer him and I knew this examination was going to take place.'
Finding all the allegations proved, the committee ordered her to pay a fine of £500. 'We have regard to your previous good character, the early satisfactory relationship with the patient, and the fact that a referral was made,' it stated.An optometrist who told a patient who later had surgery for a retinal detachment there was nothing to worry about was fined £500 by a GOC disciplinary panel.
A 34-year-old 'patient A' asked for an emergency appointment to see Nicole Threlfall at the Makerfield Eye Centre, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, as his vision in the right eye was deteriorating. Hours later he discovered he needed an emergency operation.
Warrington-based Threlfall, denied serious professional misconduct when she appeared at the GOC hearing last week.
Patient A said Threlfall told him she could not see anything wrong apart from a large floater. At the time he said he was experiencing a blind spot in his right eye and described symptoms of flashing lights and black dots that had got progressively worse.
After the July 12, 2002 appointment he remained concerned and phoned NHS Direct. On giving the symptoms he was told to go to casualty where a hospital eye specialist said he needed surgery for retinal detachment the next day.
It was claimed that Threlfall failed to carry out adequate tests on patient A's right eye and failed to adequately record the eye examination.
She admitted she did not dilate the pupil or carry out a visual field test, but denied poor record-keeping and commented she examined the fundus adequately. She said it was not necessary to dilate the pupil as she had already decided an ophthalmologist's opinion was needed and referred patient A to Wigan Hospital.
Threlfall, who has practised for more than 20 years, described patient A as abnormally anxious which was why she did not carry out further tests. 'He did not give me the symptoms that he said he did,' she said. 'The floater was large and the far periphery was difficult to examine thoroughly because the floater kept getting in the way. I thought I'd acted with just concern for him to get him seen as soon as possible.'
She did not carry out more tests as 'I knew I was going to refer him and I knew this examination was going to take place.'
Finding all the allegations proved, the committee ordered her to pay a fine of £500. 'We have regard to your previous good character, the early satisfactory relationship with the patient, and the fact that a referral was made,' it stated.
An optometrist who told a patient who later had surgery for a retinal detachment there was nothing to worry about was fined £500 by a GOC disciplinary panel.