Stephanie_Asher via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
By Sammie jones
An eye specialist, also known as an optometrist is facing jail after being convicted of Manslaughter.
An optometrist has been found guilty of the manslaughter of an 8-year-old boy by a jury at Ipswich Court.
Honey Rose was accused of causing the death of young Vincent Baker, from Ipswich, because she failed to notice an abnormality in his eyes.
Optometrists by trade are primary health care specialists who examine the eyes and are trained to detect problems with people’s vision or any defects associated with the eyes. They are expected to easily detect problems with the eyes of their patient.
OBVIOUS
The abnormality would have been obvious to any competent optician, according to the prosecution, and consequently, would have been successfully treated. Honey Rose argued that had she seen photographic evidence of his eyes, she would have referred him to the hospital.
The jury took 3 hours and 12mins to find her guilty of manslaughter, which means she will be looking at a jail sentence for being careless. A big lesson for all professionals to learn.
The failure of the professional eye care specialist to discover the problem meant it was not treated but instead led to the death of the young boy.
What it means is that the eye specialist negligently caused the boys death by failing to do her job properly.
RULING
This ruling sends a strong message to health professionals that inefficient delivery of their professional duties can lead to a court judgment against them. A health professional has a duty to take adequate care of patients under their charge.
That’s the law, and it is a fair one. Any harm that results from the careless delivery of a professional’s duty makes the professional responsible for the harm.
