Eye treatment or surgery can be so stressful for patients; this is because most eye procedures are not viewed as life or death issue, a slip of the hand might darken your world forever. Letting a simple eye infection go undiagnosed can change your life. In some cases, the simple mistakes occur as a result of human error and not only due to negligence by the doctor. However eye doctors should maintain certain standards of care, and if it is determined that a doctor did not adhere to these standards, then they may face a medical malpractice lawsuit. In ophthalmology, there are specific medical malpractice issues that eye doctors face. We spoke to optometrist pembroke pines to discuss some of the more common issues that lead to malpractice cases. They are mentioned below.

Failure to diagnose

Failure to diagnose is one of the issues eye doctors’ face, if a very skilled doctor makes a different diagnosis or identifies a patient’s illness, which might result in a better outcome compared to the previously achieved outcome, then the patient might be in procession of a viable medical malpractice claim. For example, Glaucoma which is an eye disease whereby there is high fluid pressure in the eye, misdiagnosis of glaucoma by some doctors might lead to permanent vision loss for the patient. There is also failure to diagnose a retinal detachment and failure to detect tumours.

Improper treatment

Improper treatment is another issue that eye doctors’ face, in cases where the doctor is not competent enough to treat the patient appropriately, and then it could result in malpractice thus the patient is viable to a medical malpractice claim. Similarly, if a doctor chooses the right treatment but the administration is not incompetent enough, it might also be a medical malpractice.

Failure to warn a patient of familiar risks

This is also another issue that eye doctors face and it is upon the doctor to warn patients of any known risks of the course of treatment or procedure, which is known as the duty of informed consent. Once a patient has been informed properly of the possible risks, they can choose whether to continue with the procedure or not.

Cataracts surgery complications

Cataract surgery involves the removal of a cloudy lens from the eye of the patient and replacing it with a clear artificial lens. It is a popular procedure among eye doctors, though at times the most commonplace for the procedures experiences the most errors. This occurs because the doctor has become more comfortable in diagnosis and operation; therefore, they might not be careful enough as they ought to be. There are a number of risk factors linked with the surgery, the most usual risks include; dropped nucleus, inadequate anesthetic, posterior capsule tear, improper replacement lens strength, many post-operative complications like swelling and infections, and inappropriate application of anesthesia like globe perforation.

Lasik eye surgery complications

Lasik eye surgery is a common way of vision correction, but with the fairly high cost, some individuals are likely to go for less reputable doctors due to high prices. If the surgery is not done appropriately you are likely to end up with a diminished vision or extremely dry eyes. Additionally, Lasik is not suitable for every candidate, and it is upon the doctor to do specific discoveries to ensure it is the appropriate surgery for you.

Medical negligence

Patients should not suffer medical negligence at the hands of an ophthalmologist. Medical negligence by eye doctors such as failure to use sterile and clean tools can sometimes result in patients suffering from vision problems due to contamination. These vision problems may have many impacts on an individual’s life. Other issues include failure to refer a patient to a specialist, prescribing the wrong glasses or lenses, and failing to gather a proper and complete patient history.

Medical malpractice issues of the eye occur when the eye doctor or a healthcare provider does not provide appropriate treatment, dismisses taking of appropriate action, or offers substandard treatment that might cause injury, harm, or even death to a patient, therefore, not adhering to the standards and regulations. Malpractice usually involves a medical error.