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A West Chester eye doctor wrote 202 illegal Oxycodone prescriptions. He has given up his medical license.

Brian Bigler will no longer be able to practice medicine in Pennsylvania. He pleaded guilty to writing illegal opioid prescriptions in the fall.

Brian Bigler, of West Chester, told police in January 2023 that he wrote 202 prescriptions for the opioid painkiller Oxycodone that were not for legitimate medical purposes.
Brian Bigler, of West Chester, told police in January 2023 that he wrote 202 prescriptions for the opioid painkiller Oxycodone that were not for legitimate medical purposes.Read moreKeith Srakocic / AP

West Chester physician Brian Bigler relinquished his license to practice medicine in Pennsylvania earlier this month, after pleading guilty to illegally prescribing opioid painkillers.

Bigler wrote 202 prescriptions for Oxycodone, and took some pills for himself, between 2013 and 2018, according to records from law enforcement and his state disciplinary proceedings. After the prescriptions were filled by others, he received some of the pills back for his personal use.

The ophthalmologist wrote the illegal prescriptions on pads of his employer at the time, Vistarr Eye Care Centers in West Chester, without the knowledge of his supervisors, records show.

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Bigler pleaded guilty last November to three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy in Chester County Court of Common Pleas.

He was sentenced to seven years’ probation, the first six months of which he will serve under house arrest.

Bigler’s lawyer, Clifford Swift, declined to comment.

The eye doctor agreed to surrender his license to the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine, which regulates physician licenses and oversees their discipline.

Doctors rarely give up their medical licenses. Only 11 medical doctors statewide voluntarily surrendered their license last year, according to data from the board.