Cork: In an investigation conducted by the Fitness to Practice Committee of ‘Coru,’ an Indian optometrist was found guilty of breaching the model code of conduct. It was found that Nagesh Puranik, who worked at two branches of Specsavers in Cork, had submitted a fake CV. CORU’s committee (CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health regulator in charge of regulating health and social care professionals) discovered that he had not had an eye examination in over ten years.
He had no idea how to properly review examinees’ retinal images. But he was not willing to disclose this or receive the necessary training. The investigation found 35 such allegations to be true.
He submitted a resume detailing his experience in the pitch since 2020. Geraldine Feeney, chairperson of the committee, stated that this was a lie. Puranik later confessed to not having had an eye exam in ten years.
Over thirty complaints in a single month.
He worked at Specsavers branches in Mallow and Midleton between January 21 and February 8, 2022. More than 30 clients had negative experiences with him within a month. On February 16, 2022, he resigned.
He was rushing through an eye examination. Because of this, concerns were raised about him. Normal tests require 20 minutes. He used to take between 5 and 10 minutes on average.
The committee found 11 complaints that the optometrist did not properly perform the eye examination. In five cases, Puranic was unable to detect or diagnose a clinical problem. The committee investigated the complaints of 19 patients examined by Puranic at Mallow and 12 seen at Midleton. He had to call back all those who had done the inspection.
Mistakes… mistakes…
An elderly patient had macular holes in both eyes. The optometrist failed to recognise even that. Puranik did not realise the significant differences in the intraocular pressure of the eyes. Keratoconus, a condition affecting the cornea, was also missed. If left untreated, this condition can result in permanent vision loss. He also did not understand the presence of cylinders in the eye, which causes blurring of vision. There were eight occasions when he did not understand prescriptions. He also did not have the habit of keeping records.
No service was received.
The committee said that Puranik did not provide any service that could be expected from a qualified optometrist. The committee had directed Puranik to write down the matters related to this. The committee felt that many people who came to this institution were harmed by Puranik’s manipulation. Geraldine Feeney, the chairperson, stated that this was a violation of the optometrists’ professional code.
Still hoping to come back.
Puranik earned his optometry licence in India in 2007. His position was that there was no action on his part that would be harmful to the public. Although he resigned from his job at Specsavers and returned to India, Puranik is hoping to get a job again in Ireland.
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