Eye Injuries Claims Guide

Eye Treatment Explained

Our sight is precious, so we naturally expect the highest standards of care when going through any form of medical treatment involving our eyes. Unfortunately, these expectations are not always met. Substandard or ’suboptimal’ eye surgery is a common consequence of medical negligence, as is misdiagnosis or delayed treatment of serious eye conditions such as glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity.

If the outcome of your eye surgery was not what you expected and you now have impaired vision, or pain, this may have arisen as a result of poor treatment. Either because you were not properly assessed for your surgery, or because surgery was not performed to an acceptable standard.

GLAUCOMA LASER EYE SURGERY RETINAL DETACHMENT Read more

Whilst some patients have eye conditions which require treatment many people now choose to have surgery to improve their vision. The use of a laser for vision correction began to be more widely available in the UK from the mid-1990s onwards and has become a popular method to treat conditions, such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or blurring (astigmatism).

If you have suffered an eye-related injury as a result of medical negligence, it’s time to talk to Your Legal Friend. We have years of experience working on medical negligence cases, many of which have involved eye treatment claims. From a legal point of view, we know how complicated these cases can be. More importantly, we understand that they can leave the victim feeling incredibly vulnerable, even embarrassed. The psychological and emotional effects of medical negligence are often just as damaging as the physical impact. That’s why we are committed to guiding you through every step of the process. We will ensure that your claim is handled carefully and professionally by specialist solicitors, while working alongside medical experts in the eye treatment field, to guarantee the best results for you.

We strongly believe in the value of meeting our clients face-to-face, so that we can make sure all of your individual needs are being met. Because of the personal nature of medical negligence cases, we are happy to visit clients at home if appropriate. That way, you can discuss your claim in the privacy and safety of familiar surroundings, with the support of friends and family. Your Legal Friend will do whatever it takes to make the process of claiming as easy as possible. With no upfront fees or payments necessary, get in touch today to find out more.

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Our expert team will call you...

Our medical negligence team has years of experience working on a wide variety of medical malpractice cases so we understand just how difficult a decision it can be to bring a medical negligence case.

Our Eye Treatment expert team. We deal with medical negligence claims arising from negligent eye treatment.

That’s why we are committed to guiding you through every step of the process. We ensure that your claim is handled carefully and professionally by our specialist solicitors, while working alongside medical experts, to guarantee the best results for you.

Our medical negligence team is headed by Laura Morgan who has a wealth of experience in leading complicated, high-value medical negligence cases.

Laura is recognised within the legal profession as a leader in the field of medical negligence and serious injury compensation. Laura has acted in a wide range of cases over her 17 years of practice and has particular expertise in acting for children who have suffered brain injury due to mismanaged birth or surgical errors, and in managing claims that have resulted in the death of a loved one. Laura has achieved a number of large settlements including £5.4 million for a 7 year old and £4 million for an 11 year old child.

Laura’s expertise and dedication to her clients is recognised in the Chambers guide to the Legal Profession in which she was praised for the efficiency of her approach to case handling and described as “tenacious and detail-oriented”.

Laura has been a member of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel since 2005 and accredited as a Senior Litigator in the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) since 2006. Laura is also a member of the specialist lawyers panel for Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), the UK’s leading charity committed to patient safety and justice.

Talk to us today

For an informal, confidential chat with one of our specialist medical negligence solicitors, call us now on 0151 550 5228(calls free from landlines and mobiles). Or just complete the 'Start a new claim’ option on the right and we'll call you straight back.

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The effects of medical negligence can be devastating for the individual and their families, so securing appropriate compensation for them as quickly as possible is our top priority.

Laura Morgan

Director of Medical Negligence

What our customers say

“I found the staff to be friendly, helpful, courteous and they kept me well informed on a regular basis”

Mrs. Vora,
Loughborough

“They acted in a sympathetic and professional manner and resolved my case very efficiently”

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Leeds

For a confidential chat, call one of our experts today 0151 550 5228

10 simple steps to claim

Step
1

Obtaining your medical records

Step
2

Providing your statement of what happened

Step
3

Minimising your loss

Step
4

Establishing that a breach of duty occurred

Step
5

Estabilishing the effect of the breach of duty

Step
86

Preparing your case for CourtCalculating the value of your claim

Step
7

Proving your loss

Step
68

Calculating the value of your claimPreparing your case for Court

Step
9

Attending the trial in Court

Step
10

Awarding your compensation claim

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Your questions... answered

What is the difference between laser surgery and refractive surgery? What is the difference between Lasik and Lasek eye surgery? Is everyone suitable for all types of eye surgery? What are the grounds for a clinical negligence claim? What are common ophthalmic failings which result in negligent injury?

What is the difference between laser surgery and refractive surgery?

Increasingly, the term “laser eye surgery” is commonly used instead of “refractive eye surgery” despite having a different meaning.

As a surgical tool, lasers may be used to treat a non-refractive physical injury of the eye, such as sealing a retinal tear, whereas, refractive eye surgery deals specifically with how efficiently light passes through the eye and forms an image.

Refractive eye surgery is mostly used to reduce or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses and includes various methods, such as a laser to surgically reshape the curvature of the cornea or remove cataracts.

Refractive eye surgery can be successful in reducing common vision disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, as well as “curing” degenerative eye disorders.

Many patients who have received refractive eye surgery may still find that some form of corrective eyewear is still needed.

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What is the difference between Lasik and Lasek eye surgery?

It’s important to be aware there’s a difference between lasik and lasek eye surgery used for improving eyesight.

Lasik eye surgery - involves raising a flap from the surface of the cornea and removing a thin layer of underlying tissue by laser, after which, the flap is lowered back into place.
Lasek eye surgery - involves loosening the top layer of the cornea and moving it aside to allow laser surgery of the tissue, before the cornea layer is re-applied.

Did you know?

Complications arising from the use of a laser in eye surgery occur in up to 5 per cent of cases.
Complications caused by lasik eye surgery occur in up to 4 per cent of cases.

The lasik procedure is generally considered to be the more difficult of the two types of eye surgery, as the creation of a new flap in the cornea can lead to complications.

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Is everyone suitable for all types of eye surgery?

Sometimes, surgery can cause changes to the shape of the cornea – the clear part of the eye covering the iris and the pupil - leading to distorted vision, a condition known as ‘corneal ectasia.’

In rare instances a cut can penetrate the eye itself because the patient has very thin corneas.

What are the grounds for a clinical negligence claim?

An ophthalmic surgeon may have been negligent if:

You were not advised of the potential complications before treatment began.
You were not given prior information of the possible limited benefits of surgery.
Proper pre-surgical checks had not been thoroughly made to ensure your suitability as a candidate for surgery.
The laser eye surgery equipment was incorrectly used.
The wrong lens was used.
The wrong operation was performed.
The surgeon failed to use reasonable care and skill when performing the surgery and you were injured
The surgical after care was or a poor standard.
There was insufficient cleansing of a new lens prior to fitting.

What are common ophthalmic failings which result in negligent injury?

Cataract Surgery: Delayed diagnosis can lead to a deterioration of the condition. Wrongly positioned or dislocated lenses causing double vision, insertion of the wrong lens

Corneal transplant: Possible side effects include glare, dry eye, infection and corneal scarring. No longer able to wear contact lenses.

Eye muscle surgery: Adverse reaction to anaesthesia, breathing problems and post-surgery bleeding or infection. In rare instances, damage to the eye or permanent double vision.

Age related macular degeneration (AMD): A loss of vision in the centre of the eye, often misdiagnosed as cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma or retinal detachment. An incorrect diagnosis could lead to treatment for the wrong condition.

Glaucoma: Very few symptoms at the early stages often leads to the condition being completely missed, a diagnosis made too late or misinterpreted as another, similar eye disease. A complete loss of vision can be the outcome.

Retinal Detachment: Early mild symptoms can be overlooked or misdiagnosed. A tell-tale symptom, seeing “flashing lights” is also associated with migraine headaches, retina damage caused by diabetes and glaucoma but can also be confused with age-related macular degeneration.

Read less

Increasingly, the term “laser eye surgery” is commonly used instead of “refractive eye surgery” despite having a different meaning.

As a surgical tool, lasers may be used to treat a non-refractive physical injury of the eye, such as sealing a retinal tear, whereas, refractive eye surgery deals specifically with how efficiently light passes through the eye and forms an image.

Refractive eye surgery is mostly used to reduce or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses and includes various methods, such as a laser to surgically reshape the curvature of the cornea or remove cataracts.

Refractive eye surgery can be successful in reducing common vision disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, as well as “curing” degenerative eye disorders.

Many patients who have received refractive eye surgery may still find that some form of corrective eyewear is still needed.

Read less

It’s important to be aware there’s a difference between lasik and lasek eye surgery used for improving eyesight.

Lasik eye surgery - involves raising a flap from the surface of the cornea and removing a thin layer of underlying tissue by laser, after which, the flap is lowered back into place.
Lasek eye surgery - involves loosening the top layer of the cornea and moving it aside to allow laser surgery of the tissue, before the cornea layer is re-applied.

Did you know?

Complications arising from the use of a laser in eye surgery occur in up to 5 per cent of cases.
Complications caused by lasik eye surgery occur in up to 4 per cent of cases.

The lasik procedure is generally considered to be the more difficult of the two types of eye surgery, as the creation of a new flap in the cornea can lead to complications.

Read less

Sometimes, surgery can cause changes to the shape of the cornea – the clear part of the eye covering the iris and the pupil - leading to distorted vision, a condition known as ‘corneal ectasia.’

In rare instances a cut can penetrate the eye itself because the patient has very thin corneas.

An ophthalmic surgeon may have been negligent if:

You were not advised of the potential complications before treatment began.
You were not given prior information of the possible limited benefits of surgery.
Proper pre-surgical checks had not been thoroughly made to ensure your suitability as a candidate for surgery.
The laser eye surgery equipment was incorrectly used.
The wrong lens was used.
The wrong operation was performed.
The surgeon failed to use reasonable care and skill when performing the surgery and you were injured
The surgical after care was or a poor standard.
There was insufficient cleansing of a new lens prior to fitting.

Cataract Surgery: Delayed diagnosis can lead to a deterioration of the condition. Wrongly positioned or dislocated lenses causing double vision, insertion of the wrong lens

Corneal transplant: Possible side effects include glare, dry eye, infection and corneal scarring. No longer able to wear contact lenses.

Eye muscle surgery: Adverse reaction to anaesthesia, breathing problems and post-surgery bleeding or infection. In rare instances, damage to the eye or permanent double vision.

Age related macular degeneration (AMD): A loss of vision in the centre of the eye, often misdiagnosed as cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma or retinal detachment. An incorrect diagnosis could lead to treatment for the wrong condition.

Glaucoma: Very few symptoms at the early stages often leads to the condition being completely missed, a diagnosis made too late or misinterpreted as another, similar eye disease. A complete loss of vision can be the outcome.

Retinal Detachment: Early mild symptoms can be overlooked or misdiagnosed. A tell-tale symptom, seeing “flashing lights” is also associated with migraine headaches, retina damage caused by diabetes and glaucoma but can also be confused with age-related macular degeneration.

Read less