Vannara Nhar, 29, settled for over $2 million and a house after claiming negligence led him to become blind while in prison.
A former inmate who claims he went blind after receiving negligent medical care in a North Carolina prison has settled his lawsuit for $2.6 million plus $300,000 toward a home, a report said Thursday.
Vannara Nhar, 29, had close to perfect vision when he was sentenced to federal prison in 2011 for selling two stolen weapons to an undercover officer, Raleigh’s News & Observer reported.
But when he left prison in 2013, he was legally blind and unable to see anything more than a foot in front of his face, the paper reported. Nhar claimed he told medical staff of his worsening vision, but was ignored.
Nhar suffered from an eye condition known as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, according to the paper. The condition, which is more common in Asians, can cause eye inflammation and lead to glaucoma.
Glaucoma can damage the optic nerves if too much pressure builds up in the eyes, but can be prevented through early diagnosis and treatment.
Nhar’s lawsuit claimed that by the time he saw a surgeon his eyesight had deteriorated so badly that they had to schedule next-day surgery, the paper reported. The surgery did not stop the vision loss and he never received the follow-up surgery that was recommended.
A doctor cited in the case said Nhar could have had good eyesight for life if he had the proper care, the paper reported.
Nhar will receive monthly payments of $5,200 from $1.5 million of the settlement, while the remaining $800,000 will pay outstanding medical and attorney fees, and court costs, the paper reported.
“He’s ecstatic,” his attorney, Gregory Kash, told the Observer. “His family’s going to live with him and they are going to help him with his needs.”
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