Ophthalmology Malpractice

Our eyes are more than windows into our world, they help us perceive our environment, including beauty and family. When eye doctor malpractice causes a loved one to lose that key sense, life is turned upside down.

Who are our eye doctors?

There are two medical fields in eye care: optometry and ophthalmology.

An optometrist has received a four-year doctoral degree called a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) after college. Optometry school consists of four years of study focusing on the eye, vision, pharmacology and systemic diseases that affect the eye.  Many optometrists also receive additional post-doctoral training, including residency. Optometrists are licensed eye doctors in all States, including Florida. In Florida, they are governed by the Florida Board of Optometry.

Optometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans.

Most optometrists are primary care eye physicians. They are often the front line of eye care for their patients. They do not perform surgery in Florida.

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, hairs, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids. An ophthalmologist is an eye specialist for medical and surgical problems. Since ophthalmologists perform operations on eyes, they are considered to be both a surgical and medical specialty.

Ophthalmologists are medical doctors (M.D.) or Doctors of Osteopathy(D.O.). who have completed a college degree, medical school, including residency and internship training and an additional two to four years of postgraduate training in ophthalmology.

Florida Ophthalmologists are licensed and governed by either the Florida Board of Medicine (M.D.). or Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).

Eye Care Malpractice

Eye care malpractice usually comes in the forms of misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, and surgical error.

Ophthalmology Malpractice

Cataract Malpractice

Florida ophthalmologists are known for performing eye surgery. Eye surgery, regardless of how common, are delicate procedures. Appropriate pre-surgery screening is required before every eye surgical procedure. Sadly, lack of proper pre-surgical screening and testing is not uncommon in Florida. The lack of appropriate screening can lead to catastrophic injury, including permanently blurred vision and blindness.

Cataract surgery is the replacement of a lens overlying the eye that can get cloudy and prevent you from seeing clearly. Nowadays, opthalmologists insert medical devices, known as intraocular devices, into the eye. Unfortunately, many people are undergoing cataract surgery when it is not necessary. Medically unnecessary cataract surgery, which results in permanent loss of vision or blindness, may be grounds for ophthalmology malpractice.

LASIK Malpractice

LASIK surgery is a procedure used to change your vision and eliminate the need for wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses. These procedures are often advertised as being the solution to people who have worn eyeglasses for their entire lives.

Often, LASIK surgery does not eliminate the need for you to wear eyeglasses. You may still need eyeglasses for reading or for driving at night. LASIK is generally an elective procedure, and problems encountered with LASIK surgery often involve adequate pre-surgery screening. The fact is, not all patients are candidates for LASIK surgery, and the proper testing and screening must be performed and results reviewed. When these basic procedures are not followed, and permanent injury is sustained, then a LASIK malpractice claim may exist.

Optic Nerve Malpractice

Another type of injury that can occur is injury to the optic nerve. The optic nerve is the nerve that controls the blood flow and signals from your brain to your eye and back. If the optic nerve is interrupted or cut, then you can and will go blind. During facial surgery or eye surgery, the optic nerve may become injured or damaged. This has to be addressed immediately.  If an optic nerve injury occurs, and the and this injury treated as an emergency, then permanent blindness can result.

Eye Floater Surgery Malpractice

There are extremely few ophthalmologists who performed laser surgery specifically to address floaters in the vitreous, or gel-like fluid inside the eye. The reason for this is that no formal training exists for such a procedure, and it is not recognized by the field of ophthalmology or retinal specialists as a valid procedure.

The presence of floaters in the eye are relatively common in healthy and unhealthy people alike. Eye floater surgery is marketed as the answer to annoying eye floaters, although the presence of such floaters is natural and does not require any correction.

Unfortunately, there can be severe complications to this surgery. The eye surgeon is literally attempting to zap moving objects -- floaters -- inside the eye. If that rare ophthalmologist who attempts eye floater surgery misses the floater, then that laser burns something else, including the macula or retina.  Such a surgical error can lead to permanent blindness.

Ophthalmologist Malpractice

Despite the fact that many eye operations are elective surgeries, these are still surgeries that carry significant risks.  Eye surgery is performed on one of the most fragile and delicate structures of our bodies, and as such, an error can result in catastrophe.

Advertisements may label eye surgeries as "minor," but those minor operations can result in serious, permanent injury including blindness.  Many surgical eye injuries are the direct result of an ophthalmologist’s negligence.

Among the different types of errors leading to an ophthalmology malpractice claim, are the following:

Eye injuries may include the following:

If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice caused by an ophthalmologist, then you may be entitled to damages including medical expenses, lost wages and other compensation. Contact our personal injury attorneys to assess your medical malpractice claim.

In Florida, there are limits on how and when you may file your medical malpractice claim. Contact us today.

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