Due to a medical error, an ophthalmologist blinded his patient.
- According to the forensic experts appointed in this case, “the medical error is undeniable”.
- The network of university hospitals in France estimates the number of medical errors at approximately 400,000 per year.
This is a mistake with dramatic consequences. An ophthalmologist from Marseille got the wrong patient during a laser procedure to treat a cataract. Result: while the victim, now 43 years old, came for a simple check of his rest glasses, he lost his sight barely ten minutes after the intervention.
Medical error: the ophthalmologist did not verify the identity of the victim
At the microphone of BFMTV, the witness Adrian, whose first name has been changed, says. In 2020 his ophthalmologist asked him to sit down and press his forehead against a machine: “It didn’t hurt. I ask him what this machine is, if it’s new. He replies no, it’s the laser“, explains Adrian.
Doubtful, he asks what the connection is with his glasses. His ophthalmologistsaid in a dry tone: ‘I’ll finish and I’ll explain to you after (…) uOnce he’s finished, he tells me that my vision is going to deteriorate, that I’m going to have cataract surgery this week.. And there, he calls me Frédéric”, says Adrien. So the doctor got the wrong patient.
The consequences for the victim of medical error are dramatic
Two years later, Adrien has still not fully recovered his sight and now has part of his eye amputated, has an eye implant and has undergone two surgeries to limit the damage. In addition, his eyes remain very sensitive to light and he takes heavy pain medication daily.
The doctor assumes:It’s a mistake on my part, I’m not a liar. I recognized it from the expert. I’m sorry for this gentleman that things turned out like this. When you screw up, you screw up.”
Adrien’s lawyer hopes that a trial will take place soon. Until then, the ophthalmologist continues to practice in Marseille, indicates BFM TV.
