By the time Prince Lennyo, a Creative Artist and Publisher, began experiencing vision problems years ago, he never anticipated the harrowing journey that lay ahead.
Reflecting on his ordeal, Lennyo—who has since lost his sight—attributes his blindness to the incompetence and negligence of the doctor who performed his surgery.
He recalled how the experience has caused him severe mental trauma, leaving him desperately vulnerable and unable to earn a living and struggling to afford the basic necessities of life.
“I am suffering because of the gross incompetence and negligence of a Consultant Ophthalmologist, who has caused me severe mental trauma. His lack of skill and professionalism has left me in a vulnerable position. I can no longer earn a living, and my work has completely stopped.
“I struggle with housing, utility bills, food, and general well-being. Help is nowhere to be found. There are people who depend on me for their school fees and other expenses. Their hopes have been shattered, and they now face great hardship. Because of my situation, I experience discrimination. I can’t move freely or connect with others, and the burden has become too much to bear,” he stated.
Explaining how it all began, Lennyo said his search for succour from a protracted visual challenge, led him to consult specialists at various eye clinics.
“When my eye problem started, I visited an eye clinic in Ikeja in Lagos, where I was diagnosed with low vision. One of the doctors recommended a telescope lens to enable me see better, he referred me to another doctor who confirmed that I could undergo surgery, and then referred me to a specialist eye surgeon.
Given assurance of his competence, I went to him for examination. He gave me his assurance and we booked a date for the surgery. “
On the 14th of December, 2019, the day of the surgery, Lennyo and his uncle arrived the hospital by 6.00 am. “After two hours, I was brought in to prepare for surgery, which was scheduled for 10.00 am. We waited until 4.30 pm and my uncle became worried and asked if the surgery would still take place. One of the assistant doctors went to remind the surgeon, who then came out looking exhausted. He shouted, ‘You are still here? Take him to the theatre; I will do it.’
“They took me in, and I lay down ready for surgery. The doctor then said he would inject me first. Minutes into the procedure, he started screaming, ‘My hand is twisting! Help!’ He collapsed on me. His colleague rushed in to help. I began praying, seeing the signs of his tiredness. Instead of rescheduling, he attempted my surgery while clearly overworked, which was reckless.”
After that event, Lennyo is asking: “Did he abide to the agreement reached? Did he perform professionally because he is supposed not to continue under such condition of tiredness and stress? He caused damage to my eyes by way of careless performance and lackadaísical approach.”
He continues his narration: “After being sent to a dark place without any care, I returned to the first doctor who examined my eyes confirming that there was no retinal detachment. He instructed me to go back to surgeon who carried out the surgery to carry out a scan on my eyes to confirm his own observation.
“I went back to the surgeon but he refused to carry out the scan, instead he said that I could go to another hospital. I was not satisfied with his response and suspected that he was trying to hide something, otherwise why wouldn’t he do the scan and prove truly that he performed retinal and cataract surgery on me?
“How do I regain my sight? The doctor refused to carry out the scan even after I paid him N20,000 at N10,000 for each eye. His assistants were willing to proceed, but he stopped them. His unwillingness to scan my eyes after the surgery suggests that he had skeletons in his cupboard.
“He was evasive and even questioned whether I was a doctor, telling me to find someone else to check my eyes. It’s disheartening. I have reported the incident to the medical authorities and it is under probe, but I rest my case with God,” he remarked.
