Gadsby Wicks Successfully Settles Case of Delayed Diagnosis and Treatment of Endophthalmitis

April 05 18:08 2024

Specialist medical negligence firm Gadsby Wicks helped their client reach a fair settlement after subpar corneal surgery led to a serious infection. Sadly, diagnosis and treatment were not administered soon enough, causing their client to lose vision in one eye.

Gadsby Wicks Partner Corrina Mottram, an accomplished medical negligence solicitor with over 30 years of experience, represented this claim.

The case

In the 1980s, Mrs L (anonymised to protect her and her family’s privacy) received lens implants to manage hereditary cataracts. Over 30 years later, a routine eye examination revealed a deteriorating condition affecting her left eye. She was referred to hospital soon after, undergoing corneal graft surgery within the next year.

Approximately eight weeks after Mrs L’s operation, she awoke one day and the vision in her left eye had completely gone. She attended A&E, receiving a diagnosis of conjunctivitis.

At the A&E’s recommendation, Mrs L attended her eye clinic two days later. After an extended delay, she was eventually diagnosed with endophthalmitis – a serious bacterial infection that causes inflammation of the internal eye tissue and requires urgent treatment.

However, by the time her condition was correctly identified, Mrs L’s sight could sadly not be saved. Due to the impact of this delayed medical diagnosis, her eyeball also needed to be removed.

The claim

Gadsby Wicks pursued this claim on the basis that the corneal graft surgery undertaken failed to meet acceptable standards, resulting in the serious infection to Mrs L’s left eyeball.

We also found that Mrs L should have immediately been referred to the on-call ophthalmologist when she visited A&E. Had this happened and she received timely treatment, her eyesight may have been saved.

The result

The Defendants admitted both breach of duty and causation, allowing the claim to reach a suitable settlement before proceedings were issued.

“We’re pleased to have reached a swift, successful outcome for the injuries our client sustained, and secure the justice they were rightly owed,” said Corrina Mottram, the solicitor who managed Mrs L’s case from start to finish.

“While no compensation will be able to restore our clients eyesight, achieving this result has given her valuable closure over this awful experience. Through our team’s hard work and our client’s absolute trust and cooperation, I’m delighted we could provide her a clear explanation of what happened, and the compensation to support the changes to her lifestyle.”

Since 1993, Gadsby Wicks has represented many clients in eye negligence claims, often where claimants have lost complete or partial sight in one or both eyes. In all cases, no matter how complex, their team dedicates the resources and expertise required to thoroughly investigate what happened and achieve a fair, meaningful settlement.

About Gadsby Wicks

Every year, Gadsby Wicks Solicitors helps people claim millions in compensation following delayed treatment, medical misdiagnosis, birth injuries, surgical complications and more. They have been dedicated to medical negligence since 1993, and are the only specialists in this area of law throughout Essex & East Anglia.

With an extensive level of legal and medical understanding throughout their team of experienced medical solicitors, Gadsby Wicks is regarded as one of the top firms in their field, working tirelessly to support their clients in the most difficult and complex of circumstances.

Beginning with an initial exploratory consultation, the solicitors investigate all available evidence and consult impartial medical experts to build a case. From here, negotiations take place to reach a fair settlement, with 96% of their cases settling out of court.

Gadsby Wicks is also the first firm in England to have two or more lawyers accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), and Managing Partner Gillian Gadsby is on the Clinical Negligence Specialist Panel for Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA).

For more information, visit their website at https://www.gadsbywicks.co.uk/, or call their team on 01245 494929.

Media Contact
Company Name: Gads by wicks
Contact Person: Gillian Gadsby
Email: Send Email
Country: United Kingdom
Website: https://www.gadsbywicks.co.uk/

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