Case Study: Elderly woman dies after going blind because of an incorrect diagnosis
4 December 2022
Taylor Bracewell
Who?
A woman, aged 82, went to the doctors with what they believed was an eye infection. She was prescribed a cream and sent home.
What?
Within the next 5 days, her vision continued to worsen and her son noticed that the cream prescribed for her eyes had a warning stating ‘wash out immediately if accidentally put in eyes.’ The woman continuously rang the GP surgery over the 5 days but was not seen by a doctor.
She was later admitted to hospital for 12 days, where she was diagnosed with glaucoma and told it was unlikely that she’d ever regain her vision.
After being discharged from hospital, she was moved to a care home where she had a fall and died.
Her family won a Civil Action Case and £235,000 but they still want answers from the General Medical Council as the doctor didn’t get a warning and still works as a doctor.
How?
Our experienced Medical Negligence Team deals with cases like this on a regular basis, it’s always important to seek advice if you believe you have been the victim of medical negligence. You can reach our Medical Negligence team by calling 01302 341414 or 0114 272 1884 or by filling out our online enquiry form.
We have further articles and case studies on our website relating to medical negligence, here are three that you may find informative:
