Acanthamoeba case is settled

A soft contact lens wearer who claimed he is blind as a result of alleged failure to promptly diagnose Acanthamoeba keratitis has settled on undisclosed terms with the Health Service Executive and a consultant eye specialist in Ireland.

The High Court action concluded on the second day and proceedings against the HSE and Raymond Niland, who denied the claims, were struck out, according to the Irish Times (October 14).

Niall Fitzpatrick, a Garda sergeant from County Limerick, first noticed symptoms in June 2005 and his vision had deteriorated dramatically three months later. He was seen 11 times from his first meeting with an ophthalmic registrar at the emergency unit of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick on June 12 2005, until admission to the hospital on September 8. His counsel, Liam Reidy, stated that in that time all who saw him failed to take 'the most preliminary step toward diagnosing him' by taking a swab of the eye. Doctors continued to treat Fitzpatrick for viral conjunctivitis.