Medical error: this Marseillais lost his sight after a consultation with his ophthalmologist

He temporarily loses his sight following a medical error. This Tuesday, November 22, our colleagues from BFM-TV caused a sensation by reporting the story of Adrien *, a young man from Marseille who lost his sight after being mistaken for another patient by its ophthalmologist (source 1).

The facts took place in 2020: the young man goes to his doctor for a simple check-up visit: he wishes have your glasses checked. After a few minutes, the ophthalmologist asks him to sit down facing an ophthalmic laser machine, without further explanation. He runs.

That’s when things get carried away. Adrien barely has time to ask his doctor about the benefits of laser treatment, when he replies in a dry tone: “I’ll finish and I’ll explain to you later“. Once the operation is over, the professional tells Adrien that his vision will deteriorate and that he will have to undergo cataract surgery within the week. “That’s when he call Frédéric”, remembers Adrien.

The mistake is made. And what a mistake… About ten minutes after the session, the young man loses his sight. Two operations will then be necessary to allow him to partially regain his vision. It remains very sensitive to light and takes heavy medication daily to relieve her pain.

For his part, the ophthalmologist recognizes the facts and pleads the confusion of files. “It’s a mistake on my part. I’m not a liar. I recognized it with the expert in charge of examining the case”, he told our colleagues from BFM-TV .

And to add: “I am sorry for this gentleman that things happened like this. When you mess up, you mess up“.

Adrien’s lawyer hopes for a trial soon. In the meantime, the ophthalmologist remains in practice.

*Name has been changed to preserve patient anonymity.