A former inmate of the Island County Jail has filed a $10.2 million claim against the county, alleging that he received improper medical care that led to the loss of vision in his left eye.

Richard Earl Pallaske, a former Oak Harbor resident, filed the claim in November 2006.

County commissioners are scheduled to review the claim during their meeting Monday.

County officials dispute Pallaske’s allegations, and the county’s Risk Management Division is recommending that the claim be denied.

Pallaske, now an inmate at the state prison in Monroe, was held in the Island County jail on methamphetamine-related charges in November 2003.

He later pled guilty to charges of possession of anhydrous ammonia with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, and possession of stolen property in the second degree. He received a little more than four years in prison, according to Island County Prosecuting Attorney Greg Banks.

A claim for damages is a necessary first step before a lawsuit can be filed.

In his claim, Pallaske said he was taken to the emergency room at Whidbey General Hospital for treatment of chemical exposure to his left eye after he was booked into jail. Pallaske alleged the emergency room doctor set up a follow-up appointment with an ophthalmologist for two days later, but a jail nurse said the doctor’s appointment was “too expensive and the jail was not going to pay for it, so she cancelled the appointment.”

Pallaske said he was given eye drops, but lost all vision in his left eye.

Pallaske also claims an ophthalmologist examined his eye later and discovered that a severe infection had led to scarring tissue on his optic nerve. The injury has since left him blind in his left eye.

In a memo to commissioners, risk management director Betty Kemp disputed Pallaske’s claims of negligence at the county jail.

“After a careful and thorough review, we determined there was no request by the doctor for a follow-up visit. Island County jail followed all medical directions assuring that Mr. Pallaske received medications as prescribed,” Kemp noted.

“In addition, there is documentation that the damage Mr. Pallaske sustained was the result of an accident caused by Mr. Pallaske while handling noxious chemicals,” Kemp added.

In his claim, Pallaske said he was willing to give the county 60 days to find propose an acceptable solution, or he would file a civil lawsuit against Island County, the jail, and its director at the time of his incarceration.