Decision Report 201601100

Summary

Mr C complained on behalf of his constituent (Mr A) about cataract surgery he had undergone in 2014. During cataract surgery on his right eye, Mr A sustained a small corneal abrasion (a scratch on the clear, front part of the eye). He was not told of this at the time of the operation. Following the operation, Mr A suffered from discomfort in his eyes and further deteriorating vision. At an appointment with an ophthalmologist more than a year after the cataract surgery, he was told about the small corneal abrasion he had sustained but was reassured that this was not the cause of his ongoing issues. Mr A complained to the board as he believed his problems with his vision were due to the corneal abrasion sustained at the cataract surgery and that he should have been told of the injury at the time of it happening.

In our investigation we took independent advice from an ophthalmologist. We found that the corneal abrasion sustained to Mr A's right eye during cataract surgery would most likely have healed up within 48 hours. We considered the cataract surgery to have been performed to a reasonable standard. However, we found that Mr A should have been informed of the corneal abrasion at or near the time of surgery. We therefore recommended that the board apologise to Mr A and draw our comments to the attention of the surgeon who performed the cataract surgery.

Recommendations

We recommended that the board:

• apologise for the failure to advise Mr A of the corneal abrasion; and
• draw the comments of the adviser to the attention of the surgeon responsible for Mr A's cataract surgery.