A Madisonville man is suing Monroe County as a whole, 9 employees of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and a medical as services group, saying he went blind while incarcerated at the jail.

Steven Gerald Reed claims the defendants didn't give him proper medical care while he was in the Monroe County Jail, leading to his blindness. Reed says the defendants knew of his "obvious and serious medical conditions," but failed to give him proper care.

The lawsuits states Reed went into the jail in November of 2011 and on Feb. 16 of the following year filled out a sick slip (medical request form) because of bad headaches making him sick and unable to sleep.

Two days later, Reed says, he was seen by a nurse who said Reed’s vital signs were ordinary and he gave no history of dizziness, nausea, visual changes of vomiting. The pressing/burning type pain was located at the base of his neck and top of his head. He was given two 200 milligram tablets twice daily for three days.

See full story in the Sunday, Feb. 24, edition of The Advocate & Democrat.