Prominent Charlotte eye doctor surrenders medical license

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A prominent Charlotte eye doctor, who has faced two sexual harassment lawsuits, voluntarily surrendered his medical license Wednesday.

A former client blames Dr. John Christenbury for leaving her blind in one eye and has filed a lawsuit.

[READ MORE: Prominent Charlotte eye doctor ‘maintains a sexually hostile work environment,' lawsuit says]

Christenbury has had a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him recently.

"Really just shocked by (it),” patient Brian Henry said. “I've been a patient here for over two years and wasn't aware of anything."

The ophthalmologist’s office was closed Thursday.

A 71-year-old woman claims cataract surgery ended with her being blind in one eye.

She developed an infection and she claims the doctor would not see her on an emergency basis.

The suit claims had she been seen earlier in the day by a retinal surgeon, she more likely than not would have undergone a successful cap-and-inject procedure. However, due to Christenbury's delay, her eye was dead.

"When I say lost her eye, not only did she lose vision in the eye, she lost her eye -- it had to be enucleated," the woman’s attorney, Charles Rawlings, said. "With only one eye, she has almost no depth perception."

Channel 9 contacted Granger Pierce, an attorney that Christenbury hired to defend him in some of the harassment suits.

Channel 9 asked him if he would represent him in this malpractice case, too, and he had no comment on any pending litigation.

It's not clear who is going to represent Christenbury in the malpractice action.

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