Eyes Lost Through Lusterile Drops

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 11

Eyes Lost Through Lusterile Drops

<W Z P A.-Reuter— Copyright)

SYDNEY, August 23

An Adelaide eye surgeon was urged today to disclose all the facts relating to blindness caused by infected eyedrops.

The New South Wales Minister for Health (Mr William Sheahan) said today the surgeon, Dr D. O Crompton, should reveal the fullest details in the public interest The charges made by the doctor, an honorary eye specialist at Royal Adelaide Hospital, were very serious Mr Sheahan said "I will refer them immediately to the experts in my department for immediate investigation." he added. Unsterile Eyedrop*

Dr Crompton made the charges yesterday in a paper on ophthalmic prescribing at the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science congress. He said: “Not long ago in an Australian teaching hospital—not in Adelaide —over a few months a number of eyes were lost from infection following lens extraction. The cause was found to be unsterile eyedrops. “When the ophthalmologists wished to make public their findings, permission was refused by the hospital admin istra talon.

“Thus, a State regime, for reasons of prestige, prevented publication of evidence I would have found useful last year when trying to convince the Federal Government of the necessity for the sterility of ophthalmic solutions.” Dr Crompton said doctors and hospitals also feared possible legal consequences following specific disclosures Name of Hospital

Mr Sheahan commented: “The Minister of Health in the State concerned should be told at once, even if confidentia "y, the name of the hospital at which the unsterile injections were used “It is not sufficient that t .e surgeon should absolve hospitals in his own State.

“Nothing should be allowed to prevent evidence being laid before the Federal Government that would justify compulsory sterility of ophthalmic solutions.”

Dr Crompton, is an honorary eye surgeon at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and an honorary research assistant at the Adelaide Institute ot Medical and Veterinary Science.