We acted for a client who had undergone cataract surgery and later suffered a delayed diagnosis of retinal detachment.
Our Client visited their optometrist as they had been having some minor issues with their eyesight. After an examination, it was determined that our client’s distance vision was ok, and their near vision was ok in good light, they had no other symptoms apart from a small degree of short-sightedness in the left eye, for which they were given a new prescription for glasses. Our client had some digital images taken which clearly showed a large bulbous retinal detachment, unfortunately, these images were not logged, and the retinal detachment was not diagnosed.
When our client tried their new glasses, it was apparent that they weren’t quite right, a new prescription was given, but our client continued to struggle to see. They were told to instead swap between short distance and long-distance glasses depending on what they were doing.
Our client became aware there was something wrong with their vision from their right eye, they could see grey swirls and had poor vision through the eye. Our client went back to their opticians and was advised to wait for a hospital appointment. Instead, our client decided to see a private specialist who informed her she had a detached right retina. They attended A&E and had urgent surgery. The operation took longer than expected due to a hole which had formed in the sclera, making it almost impossible to flatten out the retina.
Unfortunately, following surgery our client could still not see out of their right eye, it was identified that they still had an inferior retinal detachment with multiple star folds, and they had developed a macular hole. Our client was left with barely any useful vision the right eye.
We successfully pursued a claim against the opticians for failing to diagnose retinal detachment, which had been visible on the images taken by the optometrist, causing loss of vision.
We successfully recovered £100,000 in compensation for our client.
How can we help you?
Every year, we help lots of clients win the compensation they deserve. This case study is an example of how we have helped clients claim compensation for missed or delayed diagnosis of a scaphoid fracture. Please be aware that the compensation amounts depend on the client’s individual situation and experiences. To see how much your claim could be worth please contact us directly.
