Glasgow mum “blinded” by Epimax skin cream secures £45,000

A mother who was given cream to treat eczema was traumatised after the product left her with permanent damage to her eyes. 

Aleksandra Cielesz first visited the GP to help with pain, irritation and swelling on the skin around her eyes.

The 40-year-old originally received a prescription for a treatment called Diprobase but when it was discontinued she was given a new cream and ointment called Epimax.

However when the mother-of-two applied the new lotions she experienced a horrendous reaction.

Aleksandra from Glasgow said: “I was basically blind.

“I couldn't open my eyes at all and when I did my vision was completely blurred.

“There was also a terrible pain and extreme sensitivity to light – it was so bad I had to walk around with a towel wrapped around my head to block out the light.”

The adverse reaction meant Aleksandra could barely function – she relied heavily on her 12-year-old son to help around the house and care for his toddler sister.

The mum, who worked in a care home, also couldn’t go to work which meant she lost significant income. 

An emergency optician appointment confirmed Aleksandra suffered corneal abrasion and ocular surface inflammation.

It left her needing eye drops every four hours to combat irritation, constant use of sunglasses to overcome brightness and an ongoing reliance on painkillers. 

To add insult to injury, the Epimax treatments even worsened her pre-existing eczema.

The life-changing reaction took a toll on her mental health due to the intense fear of losing her eyesight and the anxiety surrounding trying new products on her face. 

Aleksandra explained: “I am tearful when I think of what happened. The pain, the fear… it was horrible.

“You just feel cheated by the people you are supposed to trust with the products you are given.

“Then there was the terrible feeling of being helped by my child.

“It was all very scary and mentally traumatising.”

Aleksandra contacted Digby Brown after hearing the firm’s radio advert and met with Andy MacDonald, Associate in our Product Liability team.

He gathered medical evidence and after speaking with independent experts, he learned there was a 50% chance Aleksandra’s symptoms would worsen in the future. 

Andy also investigated the creams and their packaging to establish liability and build an argument around what likely happened after the two prescriptions were switched.

He learned Epimax was linked to previous reports of eye-related injuries and the packaging was effectively relabelled to a bodywash. 

However Aleksandra was unaware of this and suffered her injury because she used Epimax the same way she used her earlier prescription for Diprobase. 

Andy lodged a skin damage claim under the Consumer Protection Act with Aspire Pharma Limited - the manufacturer of the cream. The company denied liability so the claim was raised as a court action. 

In March 2026, Aspire offered to settle the case for £20,000 but Andy advised Aleksandra to reject it as he did not think this was fair given the medical evidence.

Three more offers came in shortly after – April saw one for £25,000, in May there was another of £35,000 and in July there was one for £42,500 - but each time, Aleksandra followed Andy’s advice to reject them.

Finally, one week after the fourth offer, a fifth was received for £45,000 – this time it was accepted.

Aleksandra said: “I really felt Andy fought for the compensation that I deserved from this terrible situation.

“He and the whole team were fantastic – every person I spoke with was patient and considerate.

“Andy was calm and reassuring as well as knowledgeable and responsive, he never left me waiting for answers. 

“They all helped make what should have been a very stressful time, that bit better.”

“I now see that if you think you’ve got a case, just phone Digby Brown and check. 

“It will not reverse what happened but it might help make the future better.”

It is believed that Aleksandra was one of several Scottish patients to experience Epimax-Related Ocular Surface Toxicity (“EROST”) which played a part in changes of product packaging which made the warning clearer that patients should avoid contact of these products with their eyes.