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
The exact numbers of cases of locked-in syndrome are difficult to find in medical literature, but many consider it a rare condition. A typical person is likely to live his or her entire life without ever meeting or knowing anyone with locked-in syndrome. But for the small percentage of people who develop it, locked-in syndrome
Read More
The main symptom of locked-in syndrome is paralysis of every voluntary muscle in one’s body except those controlling eye movement. It is the equivalent of having quadriplegia along with no movement in the facial muscles, diaphragm, or intercostal muscles, making it impossible to swallow or even breathe without assistance. Locked-in syndrome does not, however, affect
Read MoreCataract - News Articles
On a Friday in April 2016, Michael R. Gillen woke up with a fever, a cough, congestion, and an aching body. That night as his symptoms worsened he was brought to the Holzer Clinic, his local medical provider in Ohio. Doctors at the clinic found that he had a temperature of 102.2 and tested him
Read More
Seven years ago, Ana Pereira was brought to the emergency room at the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey. Pereira complained of severe pain in her abdomen. The attending physicians diagnosed her with kidney stones and renal colic, which is when urinary stones block part of the urinary tract. According to a medical
Read More