Lasik eye surgery has become increasingly popular over the years to help correct people’s vision and free them from the confines of glasses or corrective lenses. While the procedure is relatively safe, there are times when the procedure does not deliver the intended result. If you or someone close to you has experienced vision problems or an eye injury due to laser eye surgery, you should reach out to a skilled Baltimore medical malpractice attorney who can review the facts of your case.
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, about 600,000 Lasik procedures are performed each year in the United States. The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery reports that Lasik eye surgery has an extremely high success rate, with 96 percent of patients achieving 20/20 vision or better.
Lasik eye surgery, also known as refractive eye surgery, is the term used to describe surgical procedures that correct common vision problems, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. The surgery corrects an individual’s vision through a laser reshaping the inner cornea. Specifically, the doctor makes an incision in the cornea so that the small flap of the clear tissue of the eye can be lifted up. Once this happens, the laser beam reshapes the corneal tissue under the flap. If done properly, the cornea should heal, and the patient should no longer need eyeglasses or corrective lenses.
If a surgeon made a mistake during the Lasik procedure, causing your eye problem, you may have a medical malpractice claim against that surgeon. It is important to note that not every poor health outcome will be due to medical malpractice. Surgery may have an adverse outcome even if the health care provider delivered quality care. Instead, medical malpractice in Lasik surgery cases occurs when a health care provider fails to use the level of care that a capable health care provider performing Lasik would have used under the same or similar circumstances. For example, a medical malpractice claim may be appropriate if the doctor failed to identify pre-existing conditions (such as a corneal defect) in patients that would have made it too dangerous for the patient to have the procedure in the first place.
Victims of medical malpractice may be able to recover two types of damages in Maryland: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages include things like medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages. Non-economic damages include damages that are harder to quantify, such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, disability, and disfigurement. The exact amount of damages that a plaintiff will be entitled to receive will depend on the nature and extent of the harm suffered.
Have you had vision problems after your Lasik eye surgery? If the answer is yes, you need to reach out to a Baltimore medical malpractice attorney sooner rather than later. We can thoroughly examine your case and determine if malpractice likely took place. For years, we have helped Maryland clients hold negligent health care providers accountable, and we can do the same for you. To learn more, feel free to call 410-889-1850.
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