3 risk factors for eye surgery

On Behalf of | Mar 14, 2020 | Medical Malpractice

You made sure you did everything you could for your eye surgery to be a success. You chose the best doctor available, considered the risks and benefits, and set a date for surgery. Despite checking all the right boxes, sometimes eye surgery can go very wrong.

The consequences of losing one’s sight

For many people, the decision to get corrective eye surgery, like LASIK or PRK, is less a choice than a necessity. Maybe you’re having trouble driving to work, or you need a precise eye for your job. Whatever the case may be, every single person relies on vision as their predominant sense. To lose it would be utterly devastating for your career and your life. A doctor is supposed to screen patients appropriately, but unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. When it comes to a botched surgery, here are some of the risk factors you need to know:

  1. Age and eye deterioration: If you are between 21-60 years old, if your eye prescription is relatively stable and your eyes are healthy, you are most likely a good candidate for surgery. If you fall outside of those criteria, you may be at risk.
  2. Chronic illnesses: HIV, lupus, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis are all illnesses that could make vision surgery riskier with more potential complications for recovery.
  3. Eye structure: If you have dry eyes, larger pupils or thin corneas, you could be susceptible to certain risks during eye surgery.

Protecting the vision of your life

Even the partial loss of sight can cause you to lose your livelihood and your earning potential. These factors, combined with the emotional toll of such an injury, can make a botched eye surgery catastrophic to a patient. Any doctor has the potential to be negligent during a procedure. If your eyes were irrevocably injured during eye surgery, you need an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice.

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