Cork woman claims double vision in one eye due to delayed diagnosis by SouthDoc and GPs

Lisa Hayes also told the court she has had two accidents driving

The doctor at St Mary’s Health Campus placed a finger on her left eyelid and said she did not have Bell’s Palsy before putting a spatula on her tongue and telling her that she was not suffering a stroke. File picture: Dan Linehan

A 49-year-old woman who is suing SouthDoc out of hours doctor services and two doctors over her care four years ago has told the High Court she has double vision in her left eye all the time.

Lisa Hayes, who has claimed there was an alleged delay in the diagnosis of a retinal detachment, also said she has had two accidents driving as she was not able to judge vision on her left side.

The mother-of-three from Togher, Cork, was giving evidence in the second day of her action before the High Court where counsel for SouthDoc and the doctors has told the court she has put forward a "very large care claim" which includes 11 hours for domestic assistance a week.

Ms Hayes told the court she now has difficulty doing a variety of household work, including hoovering and laundry and no longer drives. When out shopping, she says she finds it hard to see prices and ingredients and “has to take a picture and zoom in”. She told Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds she would be ”nervous and more cautious“ putting a roast in the oven.

Ms Hayes has sued the out of hours Cork City doctor service SouthDoc Services Ltd, Cork City, with registered offices at High Street, Killarney, Co Kerry, and two GPs over the care received four years ago. The doctors are Mehboob Kukaswadia of St Mary’s Health Campus, Baker Road, Gurranabraher, Cork City, who was on duty with SouthDoc and her family GP, Brendan O’Regan of DonnybrooK, Douglas, Cork.

The court has already heard that Ms Hayes' case claims there was an alleged delay in the diagnosis of a retinal detachment in the left eye, and this allegedly resulted in a delay in surgical intervention. All of the claims are denied.

In the proceedings, it is claimed that on May 5, 2022, Ms Hayes woke up with a number of symptoms including left eye and lip drooping, severe left-sided headache and eye and throat swelling on the left side. 

She telephoned the surgery of her family GP, Dr Brendan O’Regan and was told her call would be returned later in the day but at 7.30pm she phoned SouthDoc seeking a consultation. At 9pm, it is claimed, Dr Kukaswadia who was working with SouthDoc phoned her and advised her she should come into the SouthDoc surgery immediately.

In evidence to the court, Ms Hayes said at the consultation the doctor asked her to close her left eye and put a finger on her eyelid, asked her to open it and said she didn’t have Bell’s Palsy. She said she was given prescription painkillers and the doctor also put a spatula in her throat but didn’t say anything and told her to follow up with her GP.

She said the next day her headache had got worse and she stayed in bed but on Saturday, May 7, she said she couldn’t see out of her left eye. She made an appointment with an optician who said she had to go straight to hospital.

At the hospital, she was booked in for a retinal detachment surgery the next day. In evidence, Ms Hayes said after the surgery she had to wear a patch for three months.

She said she had double vision in her left eye but after a cataract operation in October 2025 there was a 40% improvement in the left eye.

Counsel for SouthDoc and the doctors, Eileen Barrington SC, put it to Ms Hayes that her vision is now as good as it was before the retinal detachment. Ms Hayes replied that she has double vision all the time and still gets severe headaches.

The case continues.