OO is suspended for poor record keeping

Birmingham-based Geoffrey Wilson appeared before a General Optical Council disciplinary committee on October 6 (News, October 13), and again on Tuesday (October 17). At the second hearing he was given a 12-month suspension for poor record keeping relating to a 50 year-old female patient Buddhimathi Cheti, and fined &\#163;1,600. However, he was cleared of failing to carry out adequate sight tests on Ms Cheti between 1994 and 1997, and failing to detect glaucoma in the same patient. The hearing focused on Ms Cheti's appointments at Mr Wilson's contact lens practice between November 10 1994 and June 14 1997. Since that time Ms Cheti has been diagnosed as suffering from glaucoma and is now partially blind. The committee was told Mr Wilson was 'fairly horrified' the first time he saw her because she had distorted corneas. Consequently he did not carry out a sight test but said he would have done the ophthalmoscopy even though this was not recorded. It was also claimed Ms Cheti had later refused a sight test because she already had spectacles. Mr Wilson said not all his patients aged over 40 years were tested for glaucoma with a visual field screener. Mr Wilson would carry this out if the patient met certain criteria, including family history of the disease or increased pressures, and Ms Cheti did not meet these. The committee was told altered notes made by Mr Wilson were meant to give the impression that he had given a patient an eye examination when she attended to have her contact lenses checked. In Mr Wilson's defence it was admitted that he had kept inadequate notes, but that the alterations were only intended to help the committee with its enquiries. Prosecution solicitor Ian Stern argued that all optometrists had an obligation and a responsibility to check regularly on the health of their patients' eyes as well as testing sight.