In Focus: No positives in 10-year ordeal

A 10-year ordeal for the family of Vinnie Barker concluded last week as the General Optical Council’s fitness to practise committee ruled that optometrist Honey Rose should be erased from its registers for her part in the events that led to his tragic death. But how did the case start and how did it develop?

Vinnie Barker attends Boots Opticians in Ipswich. He, his sister and his mother, Jo Barker, were all examined by optometrist Honey Rose, who qualified in India in 2005 and registered in the UK in 2010. Images captured before the exam by another member of practice staff showed the optic nerve and retinal blood vessels in Vinnie’s eyes were abnormal and suggested papilloedema, typically caused by increased intracranial pressure, by a build-up of fluid in the brain. Crucially, the correct images were not viewed by Rose.