The pharmacy department of a Burton supermarket has been criticised after an elderly woman became the victim of two prescription errors.

Maria Madera, 81, always collected her Minim eye drops from her local Asda but on the first occasion, she was wrongly given Atropine, a different kind of medication, the Burton Mail reports.

She put the drops in and was temporarily blinded. Her granddaughter Krystine Strama-Rolfe said that she now suffers from depression and is reluctant to leave the house.

Asda then made the same error again a short time later, but Ms Madera’s family noticed and she did not put the drops in.

The supermarket apologised unreservedly for the mistakes and offered the victim £1,500 in compensation, but she has rejected the offer until it is increased to £3,000.

Atropine is a drug obtained from plant extracts that is administered to relax muscles by inhibiting nerve responses, whereas Minims are simply used to reduce dryness on the surface of the eye, Medterms.com attests.