A visit to the local pharmacy should never result in injury because a person was given the wrong medication. Most Greenville residents would agree with that assumption. Yet, that seems to be what happened to a Salisbury woman. While cases of doctor error hit the media quite frequently, cases of pharmacy error do not.
The incident involves a Salisbury woman who claims in her lawsuit that an East Innes Street CVS pharmacist gave her the wrong eye-drop prescription which subsequently caused damage to her eyes. Her attorney filed the woman’s lawsuit on last month in Rowan Superior Court. The woman claims, in her lawsuit, that the drops burned her eyes causing damage to them. The suit names the pharmacy manager as well as North Carolina CVS Pharmacy LLC, the company that owns the East Innes Street store, as defendants.
This all began back in February when the woman had the prescription filled. The medication prescribed was for “pink eye”. On February 16, the day after she filled the prescription, she called CVS and informed the pharmacist that the drops caused a burning sensation in her eyes and that the box read: “Use in ears only.” When she asked if this was safe, she was told that it was safe, according to her lawsuit.
A week later the woman returned to the Rowan County Health Department in severe pain. Medical workers noted that her eyes were sensitive to light, red and swollen. She was then referred to Piedmont Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Her eye exam revealed that her vision had gone from 20/20 to 20/80 and both corneas had abrasions, the lawsuit says.
The complaint accuses the pharmacy and pharmacist of negligence and “willful and wanton disregard of the rights and safety of the plaintiff.” In addition, the woman has since lost her job due to her injuries. She also had to drop out of a training program she was in.
Due to the error of a trusted health care professional, a woman is now suffering both physical and financially. As such, her lawsuit may the only way that she can be compensated for her pain and suffering, loss of visual acuity and employment. When local residents are injured through some form of medical malpractice, they may wish to consult with a Greenville personal injury attorney to learn what their options are.
Source: The Salisbury Post, “Lawsuit: CVS gave wrong kind of drops,” Shavonne Potts, Oct. 29, 2011