LASIK SURGERY ERROR
Lasik Malpractice Attorney
Eye enhancement, vision correction and Lasik surgery have become very common procedures in America, and though the treatments can be helpful and successful, the risks of the operations may not be as well-known and publicized and they should be.
Doctors and surgeons tout the benefits of corrective surgery and Lasik procedures but often fail to properly treat or diagnose eye conditions, resulting in severe permanent eye injuries and Lasik Injury Lawsuits.
LASIK and other types of laser eye surgery (PRK and LASEK) may have high success rates, though the potential serious risks to vision may be understated by surgeons and the industry who stands to profit from the popularity of the procedure. Unnecessary Surgery Lawsuits can be filed and patients can seek compensation.
Lasik—laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis—reshapes the cornea, the clear round dome that covers the front of the eye. Lasik surgeons use an ultraviolet laser to reduce the curvature of the cornea for people who are nearsighted, and to accent it for people who are farsighted.
The procedure, which costs about $4,100 on average, is not covered by most health insurance plans because it is considered a cosmetic procedure. Lasik operations are designed to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. Most patients seek the procedure in order to live without the nuisance of glasses or contacts.
But serious complications associated with Lasik surgery should make consumers question whether or not they should follow through with the procedure. As early as 2014, officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that safety studies were at best inconclusive, and stated that “disabling symptoms may occur in a significant number of patients.”
The cited study reported that almost half of subjects who were symptom-free before LASIK reported visual symptoms like halos, starbursts, glare, and ghosting after LASIK surgery. Almost 30 percent of patients with no symptoms of dry eyes before LASIK developed dry eye symptoms after LASIK.
Joe Lyon is an experienced personal injury and product liability attorney representing individuals nationwide in defective medical device and Lasik Injury cases.
The Dangers of Lasik Surgery
Lasik surgery is commonly marketed as an easy vision fix: a quick and painless way to correct myopia, or nearsightedness. But laser eye surgery and Lasik errors can lead to severe vision problems, and permanent injury including vision loss and total blindness.
More patients have had post-op issues than people realize, and up to half of all Lasik patients complain of blurred vision, burning eyes and vision problems following surgery.
Some claim they are much worse off after surgery and regret the operation. As such, hundreds of unnecessary surgery claims and Lasik negligence lawsuits have been filed following failed surgeries.
Lasik Injuries & Complications
Just because an improvement in vision is likely doesn’t mean that consumers should take unnecessary chances with their eye health. Although Lasik vision enhancement surgery may be marketed as safe and virtually risk-free, a number of side effects and complications and Lasik injuries have been reported, including:
- Chronic Dry Eyes—a decrease in tear production can cause eye discomfort and blurred vision. Many patients say the term “Dry Eyes” is a misnomer that does not properly describe the severe eye pain they experience years after surgery.
- Blurred vision
- Eye irritation
- Light sensitivity
- Halos, Glare and starbursts in low-light environments
- Reduced sharpness of vision
- Corneal flap complications—LASIK flap adhering improperly to the eye’s surface, causing optical aberrations and distorted vision. According to the American Journal of Ophthalmology, flap complications occur in up to 5 percent of LASIK procedures.
- Irregular astigmatism—can occur from laser correction surgery during irregular healing. Resulting symptoms may include double vision, and the eye may require revision surgery.
- Epithelial ingrowth—cells from the outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) grow under the flap after LASIK surgery. Discomfort and blurred vision can occur.
- Diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK)—Inflammation under the LASIK flap that may discourage healing and cause vision loss.
- Keratectasia—bulging of the eye’s surface when too much tissue is removed from the cornea during LASIK.
- Undercorrection & overcorrection—success depends on your eye’s healing response, and perhaps the visual outcome will be less than desired.
- Eye infection
- Neuropathic eye pain
Lasik Surgery Safety
Recent studies suggest Lasik patients may be at increased risk for long-term eye complications, including possibly requiring earlier cataract surgery and developing a serious vision-threatening conditions. Lasik can also interfere with the detection of glaucoma, which can lead to blindness if left untreated.
Ophthalmologists have admitted that Lasik surgery can sever tiny corneal nerves, thins the cornea and makes it weaker, and permanently alters the shape of the eye. Some people may lose contrast sensitivity.
Not everyone is a suitable candidate for LASIK eye surgery. Certain risk factors for Lasik injuries or an undesirable outcome include:
- Thin or irregular corneas
- Large pupils
- High refractive error
- Unstable vision
- Dry eyes
- Advanced age
- Pregnancy
- Active autoimmune disorders
Types of Lasik Malpractice
- Improper Procedure Performed
- Operation on unsuitable candidates
- Misdiagnosis of Eye Condition
- Post-operative Infection
- Wrong Surgical Treatment Plan
- Technician Error
- Unnecessary revision surgeries
When doctors or medical specialists make a mistake during Lasik treatment, patients may be left with permanent visual disabilities, including blurs, glares, halos, diminished night vision, and loss of contrast sensitivity. Chronic dry eye syndrome and severe irritation are also common following Lasik surgery.
Legal Action Following Lasik Injuries
Roughly 9.5 million Americans have had laser eye surgery, yet some patients are never consulted or warned that they could sustain permanent damage following Lasik surgery. Complications are not uncommon, however, and many questions remain about the long-term risks, Lasik injuries and complications.
A lack of information about complications and injury is a problem with many medical devices and procedures. Attorneys have argued that patients undergoing Lasik surgery should be adequately warned about the possibility of developing new visual symptoms after surgery before undergoing the procedure.
Every time you operate and cut into tissue, you damage nerves. That in itself is a serious risk, as the cornea is sensitive to nerve damage. Studies have found that between 20 and 55 percent of Lasik patients have persistent dry eyes.
Experts and product liability attorneys contend that Lasik should be held to a higher safety standard. Even if a small percentage of consumers are at risk for Lasik injuries that still represents thousands of injured patients.
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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM
Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.
The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.
NO COST UNLESS WE WIN
The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.
Why are these cases important?
When management or individuals fail to provide a sufficient level of care, victims may seek legal recourse and file suit against the negligent parties. Medical malpractice lawsuits improve the quality of healthcare by holding physicians and hospitals responsible when they fall below a professional standard of care.
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Questions about Medical Malpractice
Hospitals, medical staff, nurses and doctors are responsible for providing proper patient care. When management or individuals fail to provide a sufficient level of care, victims may seek legal recourse and file suit against the negligent parties.
Without medical malpractice laws, medical mistakes would go without consequence, patients would be uncompensated for preventable injuries, and medical providers would have less incentive to improve the medical system to prevent future injuries.
Despite the reports discussed above, frivolous claims brought by medical malpractice attorneys and runaway juries have been blamed as causing a medical crisis. There is no medical malpractice crisis, it is simply propaganda created by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and large insurance companies to pollute the American jury pool and change the law in a manner that is favorable to them and adverse to the average American. And sadly, it has worked.
Currently, 90 percent of juries side with the physician over the patient at trial. As a result, insurance companies are bolder than ever and refuse at times to settle even the most meritorious of cases knowing that the chances of the patient finding a fair and impartial jury is extremely low, especially in more conservative parties of the country such as Hamilton County, Ohio.
Our Firm will help you find the answers. The Firm has the experience, resources and dedication to take on difficult and emotional cases and help our clients obtain the justice for the wrong they have suffered.
Experience: Joe Lyon is an experienced Cincinnati Medical Malpractice Lawyer. The Lyon Firm has 17 years of experience and success representing individuals and plaintiffs in all fifty states, and in a variety of complex civil litigation matters. Medical malpractice lawsuits can be complex and require industry experts to determine the root cause of an accident or injury. Mr. Lyon has worked with experts nationwide to assist individuals understand why an injury occurred and what can be done to improve their lives in the future. Some cases may go to a jury trial, though many others can be settled out of court.
Resources/Dedication: Mr. Lyon has worked with experts in the fields of accident reconstruction, biomechanics, epidemiology, metallurgy, pharmacology, toxicology, human factors, workplace safety, life care planning, economics, and virtually every medical discipline in successfully representing Plaintiffs across numerous areas of law. The Lyon Firm is dedicated to building the strongest cases possible for clients and their critical interests.
Results: Mr. Lyon has obtained numerous seven and six figure results in personal injury, automotive product liability, medical Negligence, construction accidents, and auto dealership negligence cases. The cases have involved successfully litigating against some of the largest companies in the world
Watch our Video About the Legal Process
A recently published study titled, A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care, estimated that 210,000 hospital patients die each year from medical mistakes that could have been prevented.
This places medical malpractice as the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer. Further, the Office of The Inspector General estimated 180,000 deaths per year are due to medical mistakes. And a Study from Journal of Patient Safety estimated that the number of preventable deaths is between 210,000 and 440,000.
Incredibly, the Wrong Site Surgery Project Study found that national incidence of wrong site surgeries, which includes wrong patient, wrong procedure, wrong site and wrong side surgeries, may be as high as 40 per week.
The Lyon Firm aggressively, professionally, and passionately advocates for injured individuals and families against companies due to a defective product or recalled product to obtain just compensation under the law.
FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE BOWEL OBSTRUCTION
WRONGFUL DEATH
(Cincinnati, Ohio): Confidential settlement for a family due to a wrongful death. An emergency room physician failed to recognize the common symptoms associated with bowel obstruction and prescribed a contraindicated medicine of GoLytley. The patient died at home the day of discharge after taking the medication. The case against the emergency room physician was resolved by settlement following extensive discovery. The settlement was paid to the spouse and surviving adult children for the loss of their mother. While no amount of money could bring back their mother, the case provided answers and held the hospital accountable.
FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER
$910,000 Settlement.
(Cincinnati, Ohio): Joe Lyon was second chair in a case involving the failure of a physician to promptly communicate a positive breast cancer result to a patient. As a result of the delay, the cancer progressed from in situ carcinoma to stage 3B with lymph node involvement. The treatment required mastectomy and radiation/ chemotherapy rather than a simple excision. The case settled after extensive discovery. The defense argued: “the patient should have called the physician.” The settlement provided recovery for suffering through a misdiagnosis and the loss of a spouse and a mother. While the settlement cannot bring this wonderful woman back, it helped her family move forward with life’s challenges and encouraged future accountability.
Medical Malpractice Information Center
- Birth Trauma
- Prescription Error
- Failure to Diagnose
- Hospital Acquired Infection
- Retained Foreign Objects
- Emergency Room Negligence
- Surgical Errors
- Unnecessary Surgery
- Wrong Site Surgery
- Anesthesia Mistakes
- Robotic Surgery
- Radiology Error
- Testosterone Therapy
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- Intubation Injury
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