Taking the stand

28 February 2019

Winter 2019

Four optometrists who have appeared as expert witnesses spoke to Martha Henriques about what it means to assume this responsibility.

The expert evidence of optometrists in the courtroom received increasing attention and public interest with the case against Honey Rose, whose conviction for gross negligence manslaughter was quashed in 2017. With the publication last June of the Williams review – a comprehensive survey of gross negligence manslaughter in healthcare – the issue has been preoccupying many professionals in this area.

But what work is involved in being an expert witness? How do you balance this alongside clinical or academic work? And are some optometrists more likely to make a good expert witness than others?

Sign in to continue

Related further reading

College calls for glaucoma care shift by fully unlocking safe and effective primary care capacity

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible sight loss in the UK and affects over one million people, which is predicted to rise by 100,000 cases to 1.145 million people by 2030*.

College responds to the publication of the Neighbourhood Health Framework for England

The government has progressed its commitment to moving more care from hospitals to communities.

College publishes first issue of Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics (OPO) with Springer Nature

The College of Optometrists has published its first issue of Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics (OPO), its flagship international and interdisciplinary research journal for contemporary vision science and optometry, with its new publishing partner Springer Nature this month.