Wakefield Man Awarded £125,000

Published: 14th August 2017

In 2014 a man in Wakefield has an operation to remove a cataract in his right eye. Afterwards he had constant blurred vision and pain in the eye. At his follow up, seven days later, the pressure of fluid in his right eyeball was much higher than it should have been and so a request was sent to Pinderfields hospital for them to see him.

Unfortunately, the hospital did not act on the request. Neither did they act on a similar request made by his optician 3 weeks later. Eventually he went to A & E and was referred to the hospital eye department. But even so the rapidly deteriorating eye was not dealt with until two months after the initial request. As a result, he became blind in his right eye because his optic nerve had been damaged permanently by the increased pressure.

His left eyesight was good but he had to rely upon help from his son for everyday living, and he did not feel confident enough to drive anymore. Also, there was a risk that his left eye would deteriorate, leaving him entirely dependent on others.

He approached Liddys Solicitors who obtained a report from an ophthalmologist which showed that a number of administrative errors had led to a delay in treating him, and that this was ultimately the cause of him losing the sight in his eye.

To their credit, the hospital admitted liability immediately, although damages could not be agreed until after Court proceedings had been issued. Damages were settled at £125,000.

Cataract surgery is nearly always very successful and complications are rare. Even when complications happen, they can mostly be put right. In this case, the damage was permanent because it was not dealt with quickly enough.

If you or a loved one have had eye surgery or another medical procedure that has gone wrong, give us a call on 01226 731314 and we will advise you as to whether we can help on a ‘no win no fee’ basis. We have solicitors who can also help with accidents at work or road traffic accidents.