Loss of Vision as a Result of Medical Negligence

There are many scenarios where a patient could lose vision in one or both of his eyes while under the care of a physician.

The most common, of course, is the misdiagnosis of a serious condition, but blindness can also be caused by complications from non- eye surgeries. Whatever the cause, this is a devastating permanent injury that will have great impact on the quality of life for the patient. If you have experienced a loss or decrease of vision due to the carelessness of your treating physician you should seek compensation with the help of a qualified Missouri medical malpractice attorney.

Possible Causes of Blindness

Lengthy surgical procedures can sometimes lead to blindness in a patient, even when the surgery was completely unrelated to the eye. This has been linked to a significant drop in blood pressure during the surgery causing a decrease in blood flow to the optic nerve. Imagine how a patient must feel to survive a complicated spinal surgery only to wake up unable to see. These types of injuries require extensive research into the details of the surgery to ascertain the cause and determine if negligence played a part in the disability. Your Missouri medical malpractice attorney will know exactly how to proceed.

Failure to Diagnose

More common are cases where a failure to diagnose an ailment in the eye leads to permanent blindness. Such medical issues as infection or retinal tearing can lead to blindness if not properly treated immediately. A Missouri jury awarded a plaintiff $1.1 million after his ophthalmologist failed to detect a retinal tear in one of his eyes. The delay in treatment caused the plaintiff to lose complete sight in that eye. In a similar case, an elderly woman’s eye infection led to total blindness in the eye after her ophthalmologist failed to recognize and treat it. The Missouri jury hearing evidence for her case gave her an award of $800,000 for the permanent disability.

Having to suddenly live with a loss of vision requires many adjustments in a persons life. It will affect their ability to drive and possibly work. If the damage is to both eyes they will need to learn how to get around without this essential sense.

Other Conditions of the Eye

Loss of vision is not the only consequence of ophthalmologist malpractice. Patients who are treated carelessly may find themselves with double or blurred vision, a detached retina, eye infections, dry eye syndrome, or halos. While the introduction of LASIK eye surgery has proven beneficial to millions of patients, these risks are always present. It would be up to your Missouri medical malpractice attorney to help you determine if negligence is the cause of your new condition.

Living with a Permanent Disability

When a permanent disability such as blindness is the result of your physicians deviation from the standard of care, he should be held liable. Just like any other health care professional, an ophthalmologist takes an oath to protect and treat his patients to the absolute best of his ability. If yours failed to do so, contact the Zevan and Davidson Law Firm by calling (314) 588-7200 to help you receive compensation for your vision loss.

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