Learn what a cataract is and how a doctor can be liable when a patient suffers complications from treatment.
A cataract is a medical condition in which the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. It can blur your vision, making it seem as though you are viewing the world through a fogged-up window. It is not a deadly or particularly dangerous condition in and of itself, but its detrimental effects on your vision can make certain activities riskier — for instance, driving, bicycling, or using stairways.
Getting rid of a cataract requires a specific type of surgery. While the procedure is common and relatively safe, complications are always a possibility. If a complication occurs because of the negligence of a doctor or one of his or her staff members, and this complication leads to an injury, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Common Symptoms of Cataracts
Most cataracts start small and slowly grow over time. It is rare to wake up one morning and have completely clouded-over vision from a cataract. In most cases, you will notice one or more of the following symptoms gradually appear:
- Clouded, blurred, or dimmed vision
- Decreased night vision
- Increased sensitivity to light and glare
- Difficulty reading in dim lights
- Seeing halos around lights
- Changes in contacts or glasses prescription
- Not seeing colors sharply
- Double vision in one eye
Following the diagnosis of a cataract, your doctor should go over your options with you. If he or she recommends surgery, he or she has a duty of informed consent—the requirement to explain all the risks to you and make sure you understand them fully.
If your doctor does not fulfill this duty of informed consent and something goes wrong during surgery, even if it is not the doctor’s fault or a result of negligence, he or she may be liable for medical malpractice because you would have lacked the information needed to make an educated decision about having surgery.
Cataract Surgery and Medical Malpractice
Even if your doctor reviews the risks of surgery with you, it does not absolve him or her of blame in situations of negligence. If you suffered complications from cataract surgery, a medical malpractice attorney can investigate your injury and advise you on whether you may be entitled to compensation.
If the evidence reveals the following four conditions, you have grounds to pursue medical malpractice damages:
- The doctor owed you a duty of care (all doctors owe this duty to their patients);
- The doctor did not uphold his or her duty of care (by behaving negligently or below professional standards);
- You suffered an injury because of the doctor’s negligence;
- You incurred economic or non-economic damages because of your injury.
Call 888-526-8947 for a Free Medical Malpractice Evaluation
The attorneys at Newsome | Melton are eager to help you recover medical malpractice damages from your doctor for injuries suffered during cataract surgery. For a free case evaluation with a member of our staff, call 888-526-8947.
Cataract - Frequently Asked Questions
There are typically four elements to determine if someone is the victim of medical negligence. You must prove all four to win a medical malpractice case. If you experience a bad outcome from a medical procedure or a health care provider makes a mistake, it is not automatically medical negligence. What Are the Four Elements of
Read More
Birth asphyxia is also known as intrauterine hypoxia, or IH. It occurs when an infant does not receive enough oxygen at some point before, during, or after delivery. Without oxygen, brain cells, and other tissues will be unable to function properly. This will cause waste build-up and severe damage from the excess acids. If it
Read MoreCataract - News Articles
In the beginning of 2008, Robert Jackson Miller III, an ivy-league graduate and successful architect based out of New York City, went to a dermatology appointment for a routine checkup. He had recently co-founded Miller & Wright Architects and his work had already been featured in Architectural Digest, the New York Times, and the Wall
Read More
In 2004, Spokane resident Darlene Turner visited Dr. Nathan Stime for a physical after she had been feeling considerably ill, and the physician determined that she had terminal cancer. While that news must have been both shocking and horrifying for Turner, it was presumably even more shocking when she learned that Dr. Stime’s diagnosis
Read More