A 65-year old man is suing CVS Pharmacy alleging that a pharmacist mistakenly gave him anti-bacterial ear drops to treat an eye infection leading to blindness in his left eye. The man had been diagnosed with conjunctivitis, or pink eye, by a local hospital and was given a prescription for a common treatment.
The Houston resident went to his local CVS Pharmacy to get his prescription filled. According to the lawsuit, the packing identifies the solution as “EAR SOLN” and says it contains neomycin-polymyxin-HC, a treatment for bacterial ear infections. The instructions provided by the pharmacy say “instill 3 drops in each eye twice daily for 5 days.” Medical journals clearly advise that ear infection treatments should never be put into someone’s eyes.
After the man used the drops, he became overcome with pain immediately and his eye was instantly irritated. He was rushed to the emergency room, but as soon as he arrived, doctors confirmed that the 65-year old had lost all vision in his left eye.
According to reports, the man and his wife tried to reach CVS for two months for an explanation before filing their lawsuit. The malpractice suit claims that on top of losing his sight, the man has continuous problems with pain and depth perception in his other eye. He is seeking $200,000 to $1 million in damages.
Identifying whether an individual has a valid medical malpractice case can be complicated and time consuming process. The medical malpractice lawyers at Lopez McHugh are currently investigating incidents of medical malpractice in the Philadelphia area. If you suffered a significant injury or a loved one died because of a misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, failure to diagnose, or a prescription medication error, you should consider contacting a lawyer to discuss your legal options. There is no cost or obligation for the initial consultation and your information will be kept confidential. Contact Lopez McHugh, LLP today for a free case evaluation.