£50k obtained for man who suffered a detached retina after referral delay

Julie Crossley, an associate legal executive at Ashtons Legal, has obtained £50,000 for a man who suffered a detached retina.

Mr T attended his opticians after experiencing cloudiness over one eye and seeing floaters whilst standing. Although these are symptoms of a retina tear, his Optician failed to recognise this and did not carry out an appropriate examination or refer Mr T for further assessment.

He returned to his opticians five weeks later complaining that his symptoms had worsened and that he was struggling to see anything.

It was only then that his Optician referred him urgently to hospital, where he underwent retinal surgery.

Had his Optician examined him properly at the initial assessment and considered a possible retinal tear, Mr T would still have required retinal surgery. However, he would avoided a total retinal detachment and his prognosis would have been substantially better. This is because 90% of retinal detachments are successfully treated.

Mr T would have also avoided the subsequent surgeries he has had to face and the impaired vision that he now suffers with. He has had to make changes in his workplace and has to continuously take medication.

Mr T has lost confidence, is uncomfortable going out alone and struggles with driving at night and in poor weather. He now needs assistance with a lot of everyday tasks.

Julie Crossley who acted on Mr T’s behalf comments: “This was a difficult case as the opticians admitted that they failed to examine Mr T properly which would have led to an early referral, however they denied that the delay led to the total detachment. The medical experts working on the case had differing views but fortunately the parties accepted that there was risk on each side and were able to reach a settlement which Mr T was satisfied with.”