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Optometrist: court records show defendant has bilateral myopia and irregular astigmatism; correction yields 20/20
Summary
During testimony in the 187th District Court, Dr. Anna Marzak, an optometrist, identified eye exam records for defendant Tyler Aschbaugh showing bilateral myopia and irregular astigmatism and said corrected vision tested 20/20; she testified she could not say whether Aschbaugh was wearing correction on specific prior dates.
Dr. Anna Marzak, an optometrist who identified herself as the author of clinic notes, told jurors in the 187th District Court that medical records she prepared for patient Tyler Aschbaugh list bilateral myopia and irregular astigmatism and show that, with corrective lenses, the patient saw 20/20.
Marzak testified the electronic note she signed is dated 07/30/2024 and is part of the records for Marzak Eye Care, a practice she said is located inside North Star Mall. She said the July 30, 2024 entry lists the patient’s name and date of birth and that the chart is part of her regular, routinely kept business records.
The optometrist described the clinical findings: "He has myopia. He has also irregular astigmatism, bilateral," and explained for jurors that "bilateral" means both eyes and that astigmatism is an uneven curvature of the front of the eye that can cause halos and distortion, particularly under low light.
Marzak said the July 2024 exam showed uncorrected acuity recorded in the chart as "2400" (as written in the record) and that she prescribed refractive correction during that year’s exams. She told the court that with glasses or contacts the patient saw 20/20. She also said she had seen the patient previously in March 2024 and in February 2018 but that she did not have personal knowledge of whether the patient was wearing glasses or contacts on any particular date outside the clinical visits.
On cross-examination, the prosecutor asked whether Marzak had fitted the patient for contact lenses; she said the patient came in for a contact lens exam but did not return for follow-up and she therefore did not release a contact prescription. She also said she had limited training about the direct effects of substances on the eye and would not offer medical opinions about how alcohol or marijuana intoxication would have affected the patient’s vision on a specific night.
The testimony established what the clinic recorded about visual acuity and refractive error but did not supply direct evidence about the defendant’s vision at times outside the documented exams or about whether corrective lenses were being worn during incidents referenced elsewhere in the record.
Judge Stephanie Boyd received the records into evidence during the witness’s presentation and permitted Marzak to be questioned about the contents and the business-practice basis for the records.
