Here are six ophthalmology data breaches to know from 2024:
1. Bloomington, Ill.-based VisionPoint Eye Center notified current and former patients about a network security incident that was detected on Oct. 3 when an unauthorized party gained access to VisionPoint's network environment. Information that may have been exposed includes first and last names, medical record numbers, health insurance information and medical information.
2. Dallas-based Texas Retina Associates experienced a data breach affecting 312,867 individuals. The practice said it detected unusual activity on its network March 27 and used third-party cybersecurity experts to conduct an investigation. The investigation determined that an unauthorized actor accessed its systems beginning on Oct. 8, 2023, and may have accessed or obtained certain files.
3. Nashville-based Optometric Physicians of Middle Tennessee filed a notice of data breach with HHS on April 4. Upon completing an investigation, OPMT determined that the breach resulted in an unauthorized party accessing confidential patient information.
4. Fort Collins, Colo.-based Panorama Eyecare notified patients that an unauthorized party may have gained access to the company's internal network. Patient and employee data that may have been affected include Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver's licenses, state IDs, financial account information, dates of service and medical provider.
5. Victoria (Texas) Eye Center, Victoria Surgery Center and Victoria Vision Center alerted patients of a data breach. In March, the practice found certain computer systems were inaccessible because of a malicious file encryption.
6. Medical Management Resource Group, doing business as American Vision Partners, experienced a cybersecurity incident affecting patient data. Information that may have been affected includes names, contact information, dates of birth, certain medical information, and in certain cases, Social Security numbers and insurance information.