Very few operations are as nerve-wracking as eye surgery. When you need a doctor to treat a traumatic eye injury or surgically correct a medical condition, you trust that your surgeon knows what they are doing and will take great care with you. The stakes are significant for any type of eye surgery. A small mistake can damage your vision, and in rare cases, cause blindness.
If you’re suffering from an injury because an ophthalmologist or other surgeon was negligent, call Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. at (312) 236-2900 right away. You also can send us your information through our online form to set up a free initial consultation.
Eye Injury Malpractice in Illinois
You might be the victim of medical malpractice if a doctor misdiagnoses or fails to diagnose your eye injury. An eye injury that is left untreated could lead to permanent vision loss of blindness.
You also might experience medical negligence during eye surgery for a medical condition or traumatic eye injury. There are always risks associated with eye surgeries, but physicians and medical staff should do everything in their power to reduce the risk of an avoidable complication.
LASIK Surgery and its Risks
LASIK is Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. It is used to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea). LASIK is typically a safe procedure, and many people experience good outcomes. But there are many cases in which LASIK isn’t appropriate, or something goes wrong.
You shouldn’t receive LASIK surgery if you:
- Are a minor
- Are pregnant or nursing
- Take certain medications
- Have experienced recent changes to your vision
- Have thin corneas
- Have glaucoma
- Have persistent dry eyes
- Have other health conditions, like lupus or diabetes
Risks Associated with LASIK
It’s common after LASIK surgery to experience dry eyes and vision problems. For most people, these symptoms clear up in a few weeks. But in rare cases, you might deal with these dry eyes, glare, halos, double vision, and loss of night vision for the long-term.
The side effects can be significant enough to interfere with your ability to drive at night or in fog and other bad weather. The chronic dry eye requires the consistent use of eye drops or other procedures.
If the purpose of your LASIK was monovision, in which one eye focuses near vision and the other for distance, you can experience additional risks. When the eyes are treated differently, they no longer work together. This can make your vision work and harm your depth perception.
LASIK can result in astigmatism because of uneven tissue removal. You might need additional surgery or glasses or contact lenses to fix it. In some cases, another surgery isn’t safe, and you’ll have to live with the vision issue.
During LASIK, the surgeon folds back or removes a flap from the front of your eye. This can lead to serious complications, like excess tears or an infection. You also could experience abnormal growth of the corneal tissue under the flap during recovery.
A rare but significant side effect is total vision loss. A serious surgical complication could result in significant vision loss and even blindness.
Cataract Surgery and its Risks
During cataract surgery, a surgeon removes the lens from your eye and replaces it with an artificial lens. This is because your natural lens has become too cloudy and impacts your vision. Cataracts can cause blindness.
Risks Associated with Cataract Surgery
Although cataract surgery is common and generally safe, there are potential complications. Additional issues can arise immediately following surgery or even months later.
- Posterior capsule opacity: One of the most common complications is PCO. A portion of the capsule where the artificial lens goes becomes hazy. The condition can decrease your eyesight, and in some cases, your vision might be worse than when you had cataracts. Treating PCO requires an additional operation.
- Ocular hypertension: You might need to be treated for elevated pressure in your eye. A doctor will prescribe medicated eye drops. In significant situations, you might need glaucoma surgery.
- Ptosis: You might suffer from a droopy eyelid, which can interfere with your vision. Treatment is surgery to tighten the muscles that lift your eyelids.
- Macular edema: You might experience swelling in the central retina, which distorts your vision. This condition usually responds well to medicated eye drops.
- Sensitivity: You might experience on-going sensitivity to light.
- Photopsia: You might experience vision distortions, like perceiving random flashes of light or having floaters in your vision.
- Intraocular lens dislocation: The artificial lens might shift or fully detach from where it’s supposed to rest. To correct it, you’ll need an additional procedure.
Surgery for Ocular and Orbital Trauma
Eye injuries can happen because of falls, auto accidents, sports, and physical violence. You might undergo surgery to your eye or the area around your eye because of a traumatic accident. You have to trust that your doctor will diagnose your condition quickly and correctly. Then, you have to trust your surgeon to repair the damage to the greatest extent possible. Having a great surgeon can mean the difference between vision and blindness.
Detached Retina
Retinal detachment involves the separation of the retinal cells from the blood vessels that provide the cells with oxygen. The longer the retina is detached, the greater the likelihood of permanent vision loss. Correcting the issue requires surgery. There are several types of procedures used to correct a retinal tear or detachment. The appropriate procedure depends on the cause of your injury and other factors.
Open Globe Injuries
An open glove rupture happens when blunt trauma disrupts the integrity of the outer membrane of the eye. An open globe laceration happens when a sharp object penetrates or perforates the eye. The foreign object may enter and exit the eye or remain there. Open globe injuries involve a full-thickness defect to the cornea or sclera. Most of these traumatic injuries require surgery to repair and give you the greatest amount of eyesight.
Lens Dislocation
This injury involves the dislocation of the lens in your eye, which is a transparent, disk-shaped structure that focuses light onto the retina. It’s located behind the pupil.
A dislocated lends can occur because of a trauma, like being hit in the eye. Depending on the extent of the injury, the lens can be pulled off-center, which is known as partially detached. Or, the lens can be entirely loose, which is known as completely detached. Because the ligaments that hold the lens in place can’t be reattached, this injury usually isn’t treated. But you might need eye surgery to deal with an accompanying injury.
Call a Chicago Eye Injury Malpractice Lawyer Today
If you suffered complications from eye surgery, which you believe are the result of a physician’s negligence, call Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. Our medical malpractice lawyers have years of experience.
We’ll talk with you about the possible underlying cause of your eye injury, impaired vision, or blindness. We’ll review your medical records and thoroughly investigate the circumstances. If there’s evidence of malpractice, we’ll talk with you about pursuing an Illinois medical malpractice claim and demanding compensation.
Use our online form or call (312) 236-2900 to schedule your free, no-risk consultation.
