A woman who says she was left almost blind after regular eye checks were not carried out during her stay in a Margate hospital is suing for more than £200,000 in damages.

Lady Katie Newbury, of Swinford Gardens, is suing East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

The 33-year-old experienced headaches and failing vision in March 2011, according to a writ issued by her lawyers at London’s High Court.

She was diagnosed with a build-up of pressure around the brain and a shunt fitted to help relieve that worked well at first.

But on May 22, 2011, she went to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital complaining her headaches had returned.

She was transferred to King’s College Hospital on June 2, 2011, where it was noted that her vision had deteriorated.

Ms Newbury’s lawyers say medics at the Margate hospital were negligent in failing to provide regular eye checks during her time there.

Her barrister, Lisa Sullivan, claims in the writ, that “as a result of the trust’s negligence, she has about 35 per cent less vision than she otherwise would have done”.

According to the document, the NHS Trust had admitted her injury was caused by its “breach of duty”.

Ms Newbury’s lawyers accept that she would have suffered some visual loss in any event.

But the writ claims that, properly treated, “she would have had greater useful vision than she now does.”

She would have been able to read, go out alone, wash and dress independently and make a meal for herself, her lawyers say.

The health trust’s defence to the claim was not available from the court and the allegations made in the writ have yet to be tested before a judge.