$2M For Loss Of Sight After Cataract Surgery: On March 22, 2023, a Virginia medical malpractice jury returned its verdict in the amount of $2 million for a man who lost his sight in one eye due to an infection he suffered after undergoing cataract surgery.
According to reports, the cataract surgeon was very experienced, having performed cataract surgeries for forty years. However, the cataract surgeon reportedly wanted to keep up with the times and therefore was learning/had learned a new technique for performing cataract surgery. The parties disputed whether the cataract surgeon had mastered the new technique before using it on the plaintiff.
On November 14, 2017, after the plaintiff had cataract surgery, the cataract surgeon removed two sutures in the plaintiff’s right eye during an office visit. Two weeks later, the plaintiff experienced a severe eye infection that ultimately resulted in the loss of vision in his right eye.
The plaintiff’s expert reportedly testified during trial that the defendant cataract surgeon had breached the standard of care in treating the plaintiff before the surgery, during the surgery, and following the cataract surgery. The defendant’s experts testified that there were no breaches of the standard of care and that the plaintiff suffered a rare but known complication from the surgery.
The Virginia medical malpractice jury deliberated for more than three hours before finding in favor of the plaintiff.
Postoperative endophthalmitis is a serious complication that can happen after cataract surgery. It occurs mainly due to invasion of the globe by microbial flora, bacteria, or fungi from the adnexa and environment during the time of surgery. All patients undergoing cataract surgery should be evaluated for any potential risk factors that can enhance the development of postoperative endophthalmitis. Managing the intraoperative risk and prophylaxis protocols should be considered in order to reduce the risk of endophthalmitis. Early follow-up after cataract surgery is highly recommended to detect any sign of endophthalmitis so as to treat it immediately and ensure patient compliance on post-surgery medication and precautions to reduce the serious complications caused by late diagnosis and treatment of post-cataract endophthalmitis.
Postoperative endophthalmitis mostly starts during cataract surgery where a corneal incision is made in the anterior chamber of the eye to remove the cataractous lens, which permits the entry of ocular surface fluid containing bacterial flora. Of postoperative endophthalmitis cases, 15-30% have a grave prognosis on the visual outcome and medical care expenditures. The unfavorable visual outcomes of postoperative endophthalmitis in cataract surgery ranges from decreased visual acuity less than 20/200 to the loss of the eye.
Postoperative endophthalmitis in cataract surgery is an infrequent complication of cataract surgery: in the United States, scientific reports described an incidence rate of 0.247% from 1998 to 2001, with an overall endophthalmitis rate of 0.265% worldwide.
If you or a family member suffered serious injury or other harm that may be due to ophthalmologist malpractice in Virginia or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Virginia medical malpractice attorney, or a medical malpractice attorney in your state, who may investigate your ophthalmology medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your family member in an ophthalmologist medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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