Skin clinic's acne treatment partially blinds teen

UGLY SIDE EFFECTS: Ankita has become partially blind after using a drug prescribed by the clinic.

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New Delhi: Ankita (name changed to protect identity) loves watching television but can do so now only with great difficulty. A first year Media student, Ankita's only fault was that like most teenage girls, she wanted to look beautiful.

In February, she had approached a well-reputed skin clinic to get rid of her acne problem. Soon she realised something terribly wrong was happening.

"I started developing severe headaches, started feeling nauseous and began vomiting a lot and my vision started getting blurred," says she.

The skin clinic prescribed the drug Minocyline, which they claim is the standard treatment of acne all over the world.

As Ankita's condition got worse, her family consulted other doctors only to discover that the Minocycline was causing the side effects.

Ankita had to undergo a spinal and an eye surgery to ease the pain. Medical experts say the skin clinic should have been more careful.

Kailash Hospital's Dr Rajiv Motiani says, "It's a documented fact that the drug has many side-effects."

In a statement issued to CNN-IBN, the skin clinic claims that: "a detailed alignment was done by the dermatologist as is the standard protocol and a consent form was signed. During the course of the treatment, the girl had not reported any adverse symptoms."

Ankita's father, B G Menon says, "We didn't inform the doctor directly but kept cancelling appointments. They should have understood. They had no knowledge of the drug's side-effects."

Ankita's family is now looking at all the available legal options.

B G Menon says, "We will approach the consumer court. It is important that other people also know."

Amidst all this, the person who is suffering the most is only waiting for her wounds to heal.

Meanwhile, Ankita's trials are not yet over. She will be on medication for a whole month and only in May can she re-join her college.