Eyes are the perhaps the most delicate parts of our body and can easily be damaged. Any form of surgical procedure comes with at least some risk and we normally trust healthcare professionals to do a good job.
If your sight has been damaged because of negligence during an ophthalmological procedure or because of a wrong diagnosis in the first place, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.
While the majority of medical procedures are carried out effectively and professionally, unfortunately, it’s also the case that some are not. Someone who is not properly trained or tries to rush through an operation or uses the wrong equipment, for example, can cause long-lasting damage to your eyes and your sight.
Ophthalmology negligence claims cover a wide range of different situations, including laser eye surgery, blocked tear duct procedures, surgery on eye muscles, corneal transplants and cataract operations.
It’s not just the actual process of carrying out a piece of surgery either. What if you are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed early enough for a condition that could eventually affect your sight?
Do You Need an Ophthalmology Negligence Claims Solicitor?
At Forster Dean, we understand only too well the consequences of negligence in eye operations and treatments. Patients can be left in pain or with impaired sight because a procedure hasn’t been carried out properly or a mistake has been made.
If you believe that your eye problems are due to negligence by a professional such as a GP, surgeon or healthcare provider, you may well have the basis to make a claim. Compensation can be paid for a variety of reasons. You might, for example, need help with daily living or need to make adjustments to your home to cope with a sudden disability.
There may be the psychological impact of a loss of or deterioration in your sight. It can impact on whether you work and how you feel about yourself. A botched operation can leave you having to cope with pain or severe discomfort.
Compensation is designed to help with a variety of things such as loss of earning, specialist equipment that might be needed, further treatment and various other expenses including travel. Any claim also includes compensation for the impact on your life and how it might affect your long-term health and psychological wellbeing.
How Do You Make a Ophthalmology Negligence Claim?
It’s important to contact an experienced ophthalmology negligence claims solicitor and you should do this as early as possible. It can be pretty intimidating going to visit a solicitor, especially if you are trying to cope with the result of medical negligence.
One consideration is how much all that legal action is going to cost, especially if you are taking on a large organisation like the NHS. The good news is that most solicitors nowadays operate a no win no fee service which means you only pay fees when the case is settled in your favour and compensation is received. These fees are usually charged as a percentage of that compensation, something your solicitor should make clear from the outset.
At Forster Dean, we have qualified medical negligence solicitors on site who are experienced at dealing with ophthalmology claims. We’ll be able to sit down and listen to your story, help collect the evidence and then advise what you need to do next. We won’t baffle you with legal jargon but talk to you in plain English and discuss what your options are.
If you’d like to find out what an ophthalmology negligence claims solicitor can do for you, contact our friendly legal team today.