LASIK Surgery – Your Sight Could Be Permanently Damaged
New technology can be a wonderful thing. Scientific and technological breakthroughs have had a major impact on the medical field and how surgeries are performed. LASIK surgery is a corrective surgery for people who want to regain better sight without the use of glasses or contacts. LASIK surgery can be very helpful, but if done improperly it can cause permanent damage and even blindness. The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.com/auto_accident.shtml) have been researching and handling numerous medical malpractice cases since 1979.
LASIK or “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis” surgery involves using a laser to cut a small flap in the eye's cornea to allow for reshaping of the corneal tissue with another laser to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. LASIK is not a new surgery, but it has not been around long enough for it to be a problem-free surgery. Long-term effects are still unknown and there are still risks to having the surgery done.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have received 140 reports of LASIK-related problems between 1998 and 2006 as reported by NEWSInferno (http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3079). Although the FDA is reviewing complaints from LASIK patients, many have suffered from a variety of issues including blurred vision and dry eyes.
One of the more recent cases has been Patrick Sheahan’s LASIK surgery. He is a police officer who went in for the procedure and there was a complication. His left eye began to deteriorate until all he could see out of it was light and he experienced daily dizzy spells and migraine headaches. His doctor said that there was nothing he could do for him. Patrick ended up getting a corneal transplant, cutting the cornea out of the eye and replacing it with a donor cornea. Patrick will never be the same and this innocent patient had to lose his vision and have a painful surgery all because he wanted better vision and the doctor botched it. For more information about Patrick, visit (http://www.lasikdecision.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=537&Itemid=16).
I myself was an innocent victim of a botched laser surgery when after three attempts to correct a LASIK procedure gone wrong, I learned that I was not even a proper candidate for the procedure. My eyesight went from 20/20 with corrective contact lenses to a grossly deficient statistic requiring usage of corrective lenses. My procedure was performed by a nationally renowned expert who put profits over proper screening and care. I was required to consult with experts nationally to prevent me from going blind.
This field of ophthalmology has become a marketing arena for many unqualified physicians and in some cases non-physicians. This writer has personally experienced the fear of potentially losing one’s eyesight and had to undergo numerous and expensive procedures to prevent the loss of sight. Simply put, Lasik surgery in the wrong hands and without proper screening is simply dangerous. I let a doctor “friend” talk me into the procedure and my eyesight was not improved but ruined. I was angry at my surgeon for failing to properly advise me of the risks and consequences as well as for not even telling me the simple science and medicine indicating that I was not even a remotely good candidate for this kind of surgery.
Botched LASIK surgery can cause: loss of vision, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, warping or scarring of the cornea, dry or painful eyes, or a halo or starburst effect that interferes with clear vision or safe driving. LASIK itself takes minutes and can be an outpatient surgery. Even for this simple procedure, it can result in blindness.
The Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers at Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.com) work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery. They have handled numerous personal injury and medical malpractice cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as a result of a botched LASIK surgery, please call the experienced Pennsylvania personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers at the law firm of Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.co).
