Eye surgeon wins laser blunder case

A leading eye surgeon whose sight was permanently damaged by faulty laser equipment today said he faced an early end to his career and the prospect of partial blindness.

Mr Parnaby-Price, a consultant in ophthalmology, sued King's College Hospital NHS Trust in the High Court for failing to ensure the equipment was safe and stands to win substantial damages after winning his case.

He had carried out operations on four patients using the laser machine before he noticed something was amiss.

"The surgery is painless - the patients do not feel it - so I did not realise at first," he said. "As soon as I noticed I stopped. I was very concerned."

The machine had been repaired the week before but it emerged the filter was faulty and offered no protection from the rays. He added: "I was not told it had even been broken and I was not alerted to the fact that it was repaired."

Mr Parnaby-Price, who now works for Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust, said it could take 10 years before the full extent of damage is known but he faces a premature end to his career.

"As an eye surgeon my eyesight needs to be better than normal people's - it needs to be perfect. If I find it is deteriorating I will immediately stop work."

He added: "I am trying to ensure that if I have to stop work my earnings will be maintained.

"I am the breadwinner for my family. Would it be reasonable for me to lose my only source of income because of procedures and practices not carried out correctly at King's College Hospital?"

At the court hearing, the trust admitted liability but claimed the surgeon's damages should be reduced by a quarter to allow for his failure to properly check the equipment.

But Judge Paul Collins said he could not accept that argument, and ruled the trust was completely responsible for the injuries suffered.

A further court hearing will assess the amount of damages Mr Parnaby-Price will receive. A Cambridge graduate, Mr Parnaby-Price has worked in 30 hospitals in the south of England and is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

He said: "I love my job. It is an interesting and rewarding job which I have always wanted to do. I'm not doing this because I'm an angry person looking for compensation.

"All I'm seeking to do is to preserve the income I would have earned if this had not happened."

A spokeswoman for King's College NHS Trust said it was unable to comment on the case.