SC inmate sues, says six-month care delay left him blind

COLUMBIA — A South Carolina inmate says medical staffing companies contracted with the state delayed the care he needed, leaving him with permanent optic nerve damage and blind in his right eye.

In the lawsuit filed in Richland County court, the inmate, Marvin Lee Williams, says Greenville-based Condustrial, Inc. and MedFirst Staffing of Piedmont were medically negligent by failing to follow doctor’s orders, escalate his complaints, arrange needed follow-up care and advocate for him as a patient. The complaint also names a third defendant identified only as “John Doe Staffing Company.”

Williams had a medical history of uveitis, an inflammatory eye disease, the October complaint said. The condition can lead to permanent vision loss without early diagnosis and treatment, according to Mayo