A young girl, now eight years old, required urgent transfer to a different medical facility after a doctor unintentionally bonded her eyelids together, as disclosed in court. Saoirse Feeney experienced this distressing incident involving excessive glue usage at Crumlin Hospital in Dublin. Following the mishap in August 2022, her family was awarded a €15,000 (£12,000) settlement by an Irish court after suing Children’s Health Ireland.
The court was informed that Saoirse was brought to the emergency room by her mother after sustaining a head injury from hitting a wooden table at home, resulting in a cut above her eye. Despite her mother, a pediatric nurse, applying butterfly stitches to stop the bleeding, doctors at the hospital opted to seal the wound with glue. Unfortunately, the excessive use of glue led to it entering Saoirse’s eye, causing her left eye to be sealed shut, raising concerns about potential long-term effects on her eyesight.
Subsequently, Saoirse was transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital for the separation of her eyelids, requiring four rounds of irrigation treatment with three liters of fluid to remove the glue. The process was described as highly distressing. Saoirse was left with a significant amount of glue on her eyebrows and experienced the loss of some bottom eyelashes due to the glue and treatment. Additionally, some eyelashes turned inward, causing further discomfort, and she needed antibiotic eye drops applied four times daily for six weeks post-incident.
Despite showing self-consciousness upon returning to school nine days later, Saoirse indicated that she had no recollection of her hospital experiences when speaking with the judge. The family proceeded to take legal action against Children’s Health Ireland, which manages pediatric services in Ireland, and reached a settlement of €15,000 (£12,000) that was accepted by the court.
The judge remarked that Saoirse was fortunate not to suffer permanent eye damage from the incident, noting that the compensation amount was at the higher end of the recommended range for temporary eye injuries.
