A young girl, now eight years old, had a distressing experience when her eyelids were accidentally glued together by a doctor at Crumlin Hospital in Dublin. The incident occurred after she sustained a cut above her eye and doctors decided to use excessive glue to seal the wound, causing the adhesive to enter her eye. This led to her left eye being glued shut, raising concerns about potential long-term effects on her vision.
Following the mishap, the girl was taken to Temple Street Children’s Hospital where she underwent a challenging procedure to separate her eyelids. Multiple rounds of treatment were required to remove the glue, with her barrister describing the process as highly distressing. As a result of the incident, the girl ended up with glue residue on her eyebrows, lost some bottom eyelashes, and experienced discomfort due to inward-turning eyelashes.
Additionally, the girl had to use antibiotic eye drops four times a day for six weeks post-treatment. Despite the ordeal, when she returned to school after nine days, she appeared self-conscious and mentioned not recollecting her experiences at the hospital.
The family took legal action against Children’s Health Ireland, the organization responsible for pediatric services in Ireland, and received a €15,000 (£12,000) settlement from the court. Fortunately, the judge noted that the girl did not suffer any permanent eye damage from the incident, stating that the compensation amount was appropriate for a temporary eye injury.