Can I Make a Claim for Negligent Sight Loss?
If you or a loved one are suffering from debilitating sight loss or visual disturbance due to substandard medical care, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
Causes of sight loss
Complete or partial, permanent or temporary sight loss can occur as a result of a wide variety of medical conditions and procedures other than surgery to or treatment of the eye.
Spinal surgery
The process of spinal surgery can sometimes cause unintentional sight loss in the patient often associated with the position in which the patient is placed for an extended period of time.
Although only occurring rarely, this can lead to loss of sight most often due to reduced blood supply to the optic nerve which links the eye to the brain.
Patients who are at risk of this devastating outcome should be warned prior to surgery of this possibility, careful consideration of the positioning of the patient is necessary and monitoring of the patient's progress also. Any indication of visual loss should be attended to promptly.
Cardiac surgery
Heart surgery likewise can impact on the patient's visual integrity by affecting the supply of blood to the optic nerve. It can also impact on the supply of blood to the retina.
At-risk patients should be warned in advance of this possible outcome of surgery and monitored closely for signs of post-operative sight problems.
Sinus surgery
Sinus surgery can also put the patient's sight at risk. The proximity of the eyes to the sinuses means that they are extremely vulnerable to any accidental mismanagement of the procedure.
Endoscopic surgery of the sinus means that the surgeon is limited in their field of vision and damage to the sinus cavity can cause a blood clot to occur or injure the optic nerve which connects the eye to the brain and which enables the individual to process the light messages which their eyes receive.
An undiagnosed tumour
Brain tumours, if undiagnosed and untreated, can also, not surprisingly, cause damage to the patient's vision.
An undiagnosed meningioma, for example, which may have arisen in the meninges surrounding the brain, can increase pressure around the region of the eye, impacting on its ability to function.
A pituitary tumour can, likewise, cause a reduction in vision when its growth increases the pressure on surrounding muscle and nerves which are intrinsic to the success functioning of the eye.
A failure to recognise and diagnose brain tumours such as these can allow the patient's vision to be damaged, perhaps permanently.
Legal advice
If you or a loved one have suffered on-going and debilitating sight loss due to poor medical care, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
Contact Glynns Solicitors, specialists in medical negligence compensation, to talk to an experienced solicitor.
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