‘Michael’, a man in his 40s 

Eddie Jones, head of the specialist medical negligence team at JMW, helped ‘Michael’ to claim £2 million in compensation after appalling failures in care caused him to suffer significant loss of vision. 

Start of ordeal

Due to Michael’s previous medical history, he had been advised by his medical team that he was at high-risk of suffering a deterioration in his eyes and he therefore required regular eye tests and follow-up treatment.

At one of these appointments a consultant specialising in ophthalmology recommended Michael have laser treatment on both eyes, to prevent a deterioration in their condition. Michael attended hospital for the treatment, which he presumed was a one-off preventative measure that would protect his vision. No follow-up eye tests or appointments were arranged for Michael.  

The following year Michael was called for a retinal screening appointment due to his pre-existing medical condition. However, he informed the screening service that he believed himself to still be under the care of the hospital where he had his laser eye treatment and therefore no screening appointment was made. 

Deterioration 

A couple of years later, while working Michael noticed a significant deterioration in his vision. He contacted the hospital that had treated his eyes and an appointment was made for a few months later. An optician who Michael saw privately urged him to have his eyes looked at at hospital so Michael contacted staff to have the appointment brought forward a little. 

At the hospital appointment Michael was told the damage to his eyes was much worse and he required laser surgery. The doctor said Michael should have been having regular reviews so that prompt treatment could be given at the first sign of any problems but he had been missed off the follow-up list. 

Michael was extremely concerned about his sight and so consulted a specialist doctor privately. The doctor said he now also had macular degeneration as well as significant damage to his retinas and should not have more laser treatment but rather he needed an operation. The doctor referred Michael to a specialist eye hospital. 

Michael had the surgery but unfortunately this did not improve his vision, which has been left blurry in both eyes and has been completely lost in some fields in his left eye. His poor vision has meant that he had to stop working completely but this was preventable if he had been provided with on-going checks and follow-up care in line with NHS guidelines. 

JMW’s investigation 

Michael was put in touch with the serious injury specialists in the medical negligence team at JMW and his case was taken on by Eddie Jones. Working under a ‘no win, no fee' agreement, Eddie instructed leading independent medical experts specialising in the treatment of eye conditions to give their opinion on the care provided to Michael.

They found that the lack of follow-up and monitoring of Michael was negligent, especially given he had a pre-existing medical condition that put him at high risk of eye damage. If NHS guidelines had been followed, he would have access to treatment much sooner which would prevented much of the lost vision. 

Settlement

Eddie built a strong case against the hospital trust which led to a full admission that its staff had acted negligently and that this has caused Michael’s lost vision. Eddie was successful in obtaining £2 million in compensation for Michael to cover his lost earnings and the cost of the additional support he requires.