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Ophthalmological Malpractice Lawyer in Bronx

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If you have suffered an eye injury or otherwise are having trouble with your eyes, a consultation with an ophthalmologist – a fancy word for an eye doctor – is often advisable and necessary to obtain a proper diagnosis and treatment of your eye injury problem. As with most every type of doctor or other medical professional, Bronx residents routinely place their trust in an ophthalmologist to properly evaluate and manage their medical concerns relating to their eyes. Unfortunately, this trust can be misplaced if the ophthalmologist does not adhere to the proper standards of care and treatment, and either injures the patient or fails to diagnose a medical problem, thus placing the patient’s eyesight at risk or causing the patient to lose their sight altogether.

If you believe that you or a loved one have been the victim of medical malpractice by an ophthalmologist, contact us today at (718) 354-8000 to speak with an expert eye injury lawyer and learn whether you may have a viable Bronx ophthalmology medical malpractice lawsuit. We will help you obtain all of the necessary medical documentation relating to your case, and will have it reviewed by the appropriate medical specialists to determine whether malpractice in fact occurred and caused you to suffer a serious eye injury. If we accept your case, you can rest assured that experienced ophthalmology medical malpractice lawyers will be representing you, and will apply the proper resources, time and attention to ensure that you have the best possible chance of success in your medical malpractice lawsuit.

What Are the Most Common Types of Ophthalmology Medical Malpractice Claims?

Generally, ophthalmology medical malpractice claims fall into two categories: Failures to diagnose, and surgical errors.

Cases involving failures to diagnose an ophthalmological condition usually involve patients who present to an ophthalmologist with a pre-existing eye injury or problem that the doctor either totally misses, or misdiagnoses as an injury or condition that the patient simply does not have.

For example, imagine a situation in which you were playing baseball and were struck in the eye with a ball while up to bat. After going to an emergency room, you are discharged with instructions to visit an ophthalmologist, and you do so promptly. You complain to the doctor that you have begun to experience a loss of your peripheral vision, as well as “floaters” (spots in your vision). The doctor examines you, and tells you that there is nothing wrong with you and that you do not need any treatment, nor do you need to follow up or otherwise be concerned, even though you complain that your symptoms are worsening. Approximately a week later, you return with the same complaints, but the doctor again tells you that nothing is wrong and sends you home. After another week passes, you find that you no longer have any vision in your eye, and seek treatment with a different doctor who diagnoses that you have experienced a retinal detachment; he tells you that your symptoms about which you complained to the first doctor indicated that you were experiencing a partial retinal detachment, which has now progressed to a complete retinal detachment and blindness. In this example, you would very likely have a medical malpractice claim against the first ophthalmologist who failed to diagnose your partial retinal detachment in the first instance.

Cases involving ophthalmological surgical errors generally involve situations in which you come to a doctor for surgical treatment of an eye problem, and in performing the surgery the doctor either makes the condition worse or causes an entirely new or unrelated injury to your eye.

For example, imagine that you have been experiencing cataracts and you present to an eye surgeon to repair the cataracts by replacing the lens in your eye with a fresh lens to remove the cataracts. During the surgery, the doctor accidentally makes contact with your retina, causing a partial retinal detachment, but fails to recognize and correct this medical error during surgery. After surgery, you return to the doctor complaining that your vision is actually worse than before the surgery. The doctor examines you, and explains that this may be a normal part of the healing process, and to simply follow up in two weeks for a repeat examination. You intend to do as the doctor instructs, but over the course of a few days your vision worsens even further and you begin to experience “floaters” and a total loss of peripheral vision in the affected eye. You call the doctor to explain this, and the doctor again tells you that this is normal and to come in again as originally scheduled. You approach another ophthalmologist and explain your situation, so this second doctor examines you and diagnoses that you are experiencing a retinal detachment requiring immediate emergency surgery to repair the damage done to your retina by the cataract surgery, and tells you that the delay in repairing this condition has caused you to suffer partial permanent blindness. In such a case, you may have a medical malpractice claim against the surgeon who performed the original cataract surgery and failed to recognize that your retina had been injured during this surgery and fix it immediately.

Can I Hire Any Personal Injury Lawyer to Represent Me In My Ophthalmology Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?

Of course, you are free to choose any personal injury lawyer with whom you are comfortable to represent you in any Bronx medical malpractice case. However, in ophthalmology medical malpractice lawsuits – as with every other type of medical malpractice case – selecting medical malpractice lawyers with the proper experience and resources is often the difference between success and failure. Many law firms claim to have medical malpractice expertise, but only a small group of lawyers truly have the experience and resources necessary to win even the simplest medical malpractice lawsuit relating to ophthalmology. Our group of Bronx medical malpractice attorneys considers itself to be among this elite group, and our results prove this to be true

Ophthalmology medical malpractice lawsuits are extraordinarily complicated, and you can be certain that any doctor whom you accuse of malpractice will hire defense attorneys who have special expertise in ophthalmology medical malpractice lawsuits. Our Bronx medical malpractice attorneys have the experience, skills and resources necessary to give you an edge in the face of this stiff courtroom competition, and have won millions of dollars for Bronx and New York City victims of ophthalmology medical malpractice. We will have your case reviewed by expert eye doctors and surgeons who will work with our Bronx medical malpractice lawyers to ensure that the correct medical arguments are made in your medical malpractice case so as to give you the best chance of obtaining fair compensation. Contact us today at (718) 354-8000 to learn more if you believe that you may have a Bronx medical malpractice claim against an ophthalmologist.