A YOUNGSTER from Studley was almost blinded after doctors glued his eye shut while treating a head injury.
Jay Watson gashed his head in a soft play area while on a ‘Halloween Fun Day’ with his 11 year-old brother Jordan, and their gran Jayne Gilder.
The four year-old was left with a 3cm cut to his head which would not stop bleeding, so he was taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.
But while a doctors used medical glue to seal up the wound, the medic accidentally dripped the powerful sealant into his right eye.
Doctors apologised for the mistake and told his family his eye should open by itself within a few hours.
But Jay, who is currently being assessed for Asperger’s syndrome, was forced to wait five days before he was able to blink again when the glue finally dissolved.
His family have now blasted the medics for the blunder, saying Jay has been left ‘traumatised’ by the ordeal.
Jayne said: “It wasn’t a big cut but it was deep and it wouldn’t stop bleeding.
“A young doctor squeezed the tube of glue on the cut to close it, but he pressed too hard and the glue ran down Jay’s face into his eye.
“The next thing we knew, his eye wouldn’t open. The doctor got a tube of saline solution to try and wash the glue out, but it didn’t budge.
“The whole thing should have been over and done with in ten minutes. Why they didn’t put an eye patch or something to protect his eye, I don’t know.
“What amazed us even more was the fact that the doctor told us it wasn’t the first time this had happened – it was like he was proud of it.
“The stress that child went through to try to and open his eye is unbelievable. He screamed the hospital down, all because of incompetence.
“That night, he didn’t sleep a wink and he was in agony.”
After a restless night, Jayne and mum Jo took him to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital for a second opinion, but were again told it was a matter of waiting for the glue to slacken.
Jo, a 36 year-old mental health coordinator said: “Parents do need to be aware they need to cover their child’s eyes or to ask the consultant to cover their eyes.
“I couldn’t fault the hospital’s aftercare, but it shouldn’t happen in the first place.
“If it has happened before already, something should have been done to fix it so it doesn’t does not to happen again.”
A Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said they were concerned when a patient’s experience did not match the high standards they set for themselves but were unable to discuss individual cases.
