Prosecutor alleges that the boy’s life could have been saved had she “done her job properly.”
British optometrist Honey Rose has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter after the death of an 8-year-old boy, which the prosecuting attorney argues could have been prevented had Rose “done her job properly,” Optometry Today writes. The article says it was determined that the boy, Vinnie Barker, died of hydrocephalus (water on the brain). The prosecutor explained that at the time of Barker’s eye exam, there were “obvious abnormalities” in both of his eyes, referring to photographs that were taken before Rose examined him.
The prosecutor, the article adds, told the jury that the abnormalities "would have been obvious to any optometrist who had examined his eyes. If they had been examined, they couldn’t be missed, and if they had been noticed, he would have been urgently referred because papilledema is known to be a fatal condition. Vinnie wasn’t referred for further investigation as he should have been. Indeed it was the defendant’s assessment that he needed no further treatment at all.”
Rose has pleaded not guilty, and the case is expected to continue for two weeks, the article says.
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