Chris Bennett: Unprecedented times

Unprecedented is the only way to describe the manslaughter charges facing an optometrist this week over the tragic death of a young child in East Anglia.

Optician would not, and cannot, comment on the specifics of the case other than to sympathise over the loss of a young life. The justice system must be left to decide the outcome unhindered but the fact that such a charge has been levelled at all will change the optometry profession for ever.

Manslaughter, by dint of gross negligence, must be a charge practitioners thought they would never hear brought against one of their number. I can’t imagine there are many practitioners who were not shocked by the news that an eye care professional faced such a grave charge as a result of clinical practice.