Ophthalmological Medical Malpractice
Brien Roche
Eye Surgery
Eye surgery is becoming more and more common as our population ages. As a result ophthalmological medical malpractice in eye surgery is more common. There are several things that may create the need for eye surgery.
Ophthalmological Medical Malpractice-Cataracts
Cataracts are a result of the clumping of proteins around the lens. This causes the lens to become cloudy. This is diagnosed by using a slit-lamp by which the doctor sees the lens. Treatment is to physically remove the lens by breaking it up through ultrasound waves. It is then suctioned out. The lens is then replaced with a new artificial lens. The lens is one of the few parts of the body that does not contain any blood vessels. As a result there is little chance of an artificial lens being rejected by the body. Each patient needs to decide whether to go with a basic mono-focal or premium lens. The mono focal will allow the eye to see clearly either close up or at a distance. The premium corrects astigmatism and can restore the full range of vision without glasses.
A risk of this surgery is the chance of a large piece of the broken lens falling into the back part of the eye. That can cause retinal detachment. If a large part of the lens does fall into the back of the eye then a retina specialist must be brought in promptly.
Ophthalmological Medical Malpractrice-Diabetics
Diabetics are prone to eye problems because the fragile blood vessels in the back of the eye swell and leak into the eye. This blurs vision. Also they may have abnormal vessel growth in the retina.
This obscures vision. Spots floating in the field of view is a clue that there may be problems on the horizon. The treatment is laser surgery to stop the blood leakage. This will stabilize vision. Call, or contact us for a free consult.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye. Some doctors believe that glaucoma is a neurological disorder where nerve cells in the brain degenerate. Although eye pressure is a symptom of glaucoma there are others. Loss of peripheral vision and damage to the optic nerve are also symptoms. Glaucoma can cause blindness.
Treatment for glaucoma is eye drops to lower the pressure. Surgery may improve the flow of fluid out of the eye, thereby controlling pressure.
People most at-risk for glaucoma are those over 45, have a family history, are either near-sighted or far-sighted, are African-American or Hispanic. In addition people who have either diabetes, migraines or low blood pressure are at risk.
Macular Degeneration
The macula is the portion of the eye that provides sharp, central vision. Macular degeneration is the wearing away of the macula. It is the tiny area near the center of the retina in the back of the eye. The retina produces the sharp images that we are able to see. Damage to the macula knocks out what is called “central vision”. However it may not affect what is called “outside vision”.
This macular degeneration can come in forms that are either dry or wet. The dry form progresses slowly over a period of many years. The wet form occurs when new blood vessels under the macula leak blood and fluid. This latter form of macular degeneration is more aggressive. It causes severe vision loss.
The standard treatment for wet macular degeneration is to use anitbodies to help prevent the growth of leaky blood vessels. Although there is no cure for eiher dry or wet, supplements of high levels of antioxidant vitamins and minerals can slow down the progression.
Ophthalmological Medical Malpractice-Floaters
Another common ophthalmological problem is what is called “floaters”. Floaters are strands that seem to swim across the field of vision. They are very common as you get older. The cause is bits of gel that are within the vitreous fluid within the eye peeling off. They float inside the eye cavity. Most of the inside of the eyeball is filled with this vitreous fluid. It provides shape to the eye. Also it acts as a shock absorber for the retina. The retina is the main visual component of the eye at the back of the eye. These bits of gel that are floating around cast shadows on the retina. That is what appears to be these floaters.
A sudden increase in the number of floaters paired with flashes of light or a veil over the field of vision is a warning sign of retinal detachment. That requires prompt treatment. Call, or contact us for a free consult.
Ophthalmological Medical Malpractice and Laser Surgery
Laser surgery has become popular in the last many years. Most eye malpractice claims arise from this.
There are two main types of such surgery. One type is the traditional Lasik surgery which involves cutting a flap on the surface of the cornea. The cornea is the circular portion of the eye that is at the front of the eye. Once this flap has been cut, then a laser is used to reshape the underlying cornea.
The other type of laser surgery is one that involves scraping very thin layers of tissue off the cornea’s outermost layer. This does not involve making a flap in the cornea.
These are able to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
This surgery cannot correct or prevent the natural loss of focusing power for close-up objects that happens with age. There is some evidence that laser surgery hastens this condition in people who are already nearsighted.
Diet
Another frequent topic in regards to eye care is that of diet and food supplements. Being overweight increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. As a result weight control is important. Food supplements are a matter of some debate. It can safely be said that the consumption of carrots improves eye health.
So diet and exercise are important in all aspects of health. They should both be focused on if you are prone to diabetes. Diabetes and retinal problems are addressed herein.
Ophthalmological Medical Malpractice-Retinal Detachment
Retinal detachment is an increasingly common problem among people over 40. Call, or contact us for a free consult.
Risk Factors
People at risk for retinal detachment are those who are extremely near-sighted, have a family history of this problem and who are over a certain age.
Another risk is cataract surgery. There is some data that within a year of cataract surgery it is common to get posterior vitreous separation. The surgery alters the physiology of the vitreous fluid. It causes it to become more liquid. However some doctors disagree with that theory.
The actual process of retinal detachment occurs as the vitreous fluid that occupies most of the eyeball begins to liquefy. This fluid in its natural state is gel-like. When it becomes more liquid then it produces less pressure against the retina. This allows the retina to detach
Repairing Detached Retina
For minor detachments of the retina, the use of a beam of laser light can reattach the retina. Where there is a major detachment, there may be a need to freeze the retina back in place.
A symptom of impending retinal detachment is the significant flashes of light. These flashes of light occur as a result of the protein that is in liquefied vitreous jelly staying attached to the retina. These particles of protein pull on the retina causing the flashes of light to occur.
Lasik Surgery
Lasik surgery modifies the cornea’s curvature in order to likewise modify its focusing power. The surgery is designed to improve or eliminate either a near-sighted condition or a far-sighted condition. It removes a certain amount of corneal tissue. This modifies the curvature of the cornea. The human eye is somewhat like a camera. The cornea would be akin to a film over the lens of the camera. Light passes through the cornea and into the pupil. The size of the pupil is controlled by the iris, the colored portion of the eye. It controls the amount of light entering into the pupil. Light entering into the pupil then hits the lens which focuses the light before projecting it on the retina which is similar to the film in a camera. The retina then converts the light into electrical signals which convey images.
Each cornea has five cell layers. The middle layer and the largest layer is called the stroma which is where this surgery takes place. It is the stroma that maintains the curvature or structure of the cornea. It is a portion of that stroma that is removed during the course of this surgery.
LASIK Surgery Screening
Both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and also the Eye Surgery Education Counsel have established certain basic criteria for screening patients prior to lasik surgery. Of all of the screening criteria the most important is corneal topography. This is the curvature of the cornea prior to any surgery. If a patient suffers from a progressive thinning of this central corneal layer, then the patient is not a candidate for lasik surgery. It is incumbent on surgeons to detect this condition. Any further removal of corneal tissue may weaken the overall structure of the cornea. This produces a condition known as keratoconus.
Evaluating LASIK Surgery Claims
In evaluating claims of this nature it is critical to obtain color copies of the corneal studies that were done by the surgeon prior to surgery as these color copies will show the topography maps of the corneal structure.
LASIK Surgery Negligence
If you have been injured as a result of lasik surgery, contact us.
Also for more info on eye surgery and related topics see medical malpractice .
In addition for more info on lasik surgery see the pages on Wikipedia.
Also for more info on ophthalmological medical malpractice see the pages on Wikipedia.