Failure to Ensure Timely Optical Services for Visually Impaired Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure timely provision of optical services for a resident with visual impairment. The resident, who had previously undergone cataract removal surgery and still required eyeglasses to read, was observed sitting in her wheelchair with an activity calendar on the wall and a monthly meal menu on her bedside table, but no eyeglasses were present in the room. During interview, the resident reported needing readers to enjoy activities such as coloring and reading and described having been seen by an eye doctor, then referred to a specialist, and then referred back to the regular eye doctor, leaving her uncertain about the status of obtaining eyeglasses. Record review showed that the resident had an ophthalmology visit on 01/16/2026, and a prescription for eyeglasses from that visit had been scanned into the EHR. The Social Services Director (SSD) explained that a company routinely provided on-site ancillary vision services and that, typically, when an eye doctor examined a resident and wrote a prescription, eyeglasses would be ordered and delivered to the facility within a few weeks, after which she would distribute them to residents. Upon reviewing the records and transportation logs, the SSD confirmed the resident’s eye appointment and the presence of the eyeglass prescription in the EHR but was unsure why the prescription had been uploaded without follow-up. The SSD acknowledged that the prescription should probably have been acted on sooner. The facility’s undated policy on vision and hearing services stated that it is the organization’s standard to ensure residents receive proper treatment and assistive devices to maintain vision and hearing abilities.
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