Compensation settlement for client with loss of vision in one eye from negligent post-operative care

Boyes Turner’s medical negligence team secured a settlement from a hospital for a client who lost the vision in her right eye as a result of negligent post-operative care.

Our client was diagnosed with an eye condition which required an operation at the ophthalmic department of the defendant hospital.  The operation was successful. However, two days after the surgery our client became unwell and her eye began to swell. Following the instructions in the hospital’s eye care information leaflet, she recognised that her symptoms required medical attention and contacted the hospital ward for help.  She was told that her symptoms were to be expected and that there was no need to go to the hospital.

Over the next two days our client’s symptoms became worse and she returned to the hospital. She was diagnosed with an acute staphylococcus infection and was given IV antibiotics and other medication but, despite the late treatment, she lost the sight in her right eye. The eye shrank from the infection and she needed prosthetic implants. Overall, this injury resulted in significant visual impairment, as her eyesight in her other eye was poor.

We put our client’s claim to the defendant hospital based on our expert ophthalmologist’s opinion that if our client had received treatment earlier she would have retained some useful vision and would not have suffered any cosmetic defect. The hospital admitted that they had negligently failed to advise our client to go to the hospital when she first telephoned, and that this would have led to our client receiving earlier treatment. They strongly disputed, however,  that our client would have avoided her injury if she had received earlier treatment.

We issued court proceedings but the claim concluded after negotiations resulted in an out of court settlement for our client.

If you have suffered a serious injury or disability as a result of medical negligence and would like to find out more about making a claim, you can talk to one of our specialist solicitors, free and confidentially, by contacting us here.