Helping you with LASIK complications.

If you are reading this page, it’s likely you have suffered complications from a LASIK procedure. Complications include:

• Blurry vision
• Warping or scarring of the cornea
• Dry or painful eyes
• Halo or starburst effects that interfere with clear vision or safe driving
• Sensitivity to light
• Loss of visual acuity, even with the best possible correction with eyeglasses

LASIK injuries can occur because of improper screening/testing, improper surgical techniques, lack of adequate equipment, improper use of equipment, inadequate post-surgery treatment and general negligence. Naturally, LASIK injuries can be quite devastating, resulting in blindness in some cases.

These problems can result from numerous causes. During a surgery, a physician may cut the cornea too shallow or too deep or may improperly use medical equipment and devices. Some injuries may result because of the failure of the physician to follow the “standard of care.” The standard of care differs by state, as for example in Tennessee, the “standard of care” is what a reasonable physician would have done in the same or a similar community.

LASIK problems, however, can also occur because the surgery should have never occurred in the first place. For example, some persons are not proper candidates. For example, some candidates have corneas that are too think to support the LASIK cutting. Others possess a feature known as keratoconus, which means a person has a cornea improperly shaped that will not support LASIK procedures.

Over 1 million people undergo laser eye surgery each year. While the vast majority of these patients are pleased with the outcome of the procedure, approximately 50,000 suffer vision complications, many debilitating.

Critics charge the laser eye surgery industry, also known as “LASIK,” with putting profits ahead of quality treatment. To be sure, most doctors who perform the procedure are reputable and well trained. Unfortunately, with the intense competition to win patients, many clinics have reduced prices to levels that are unsustainable. In order to recoup lost revenues, laser clinics are forced to schedule dozens of procedures each day, potentially compromising the safety of the patient. The result? Five percent of those who undergo LASIK will suffer from a reduction in vision, dry eyes, inflammation, or difficulty in driving at night because of sensitivity to glare. While often temporary, some of these adverse outcomes may be permanent.

Laser eye surgery takes about fifteen minutes. The doctor cuts a flap on the front of the eye, moving it out of the way in order to access the cornea. The doctor then reshapes the cornea in order to correct the vision problem.

It is the seemingly simple and fast paced nature of the procedure that entices many patients to seek out laser eye surgery. However, as with any medical procedure, there can be complications, and despite lengthy consent forms, many patients do not appreciate the risks.

With the increasing number of LASIK related errors, many disgruntled patients are turning to the courts for compensation. Over 100 medical malpractice lawsuits have been filed, with some patients winning hundreds of thousands of dollars against negligent doctors and clinics.

Perhaps you relied on unfair and misleading advertising…

You may also be reading this because you feel you were tricked or misled into the LASIK procedure. Unlike some other forms of health care, LASIK is a cash business, meaning that those choosing to undergo LASIK have agreed to pay 100% of the cost to the provider. This has, in a sense, lead to the creation of large corporate LASIK providers, including the Laser Vision Institute (LVI) and The Laser Center (TLC). These, and other, corporations spare no expense at advertising to lure consumers into their clinics and to their surgeons. In a sense, this has resulted in the FDA imposing fines against some LASIK providers for false and deceptive advertising.

Despite fines and warnings, mass-LASIK advertising continues today, in print, on the Internet and on the radio around the globe.

What should you do now?

Not every LASIK complication means malpractice, but you may be entitled to pursue a cause of action against physicians and/or the LASIK provider. Whether or not you are a candidate to pursue an action depends on whether there was a violation of the standard of care by the surgeon and/or the clinic. It may also depend on whether you relied upon false or deceptive advertising before going forward with your treatment. There can be other causes of action, as well, including misrepresentation and products liability.

The first step in determining if you have a possible case is to contact me for a free case evaluation. I invite you to do so via the following and look forward to trying to help you:

Ed Wallis
Glassman, Edwards, Wade & Wyatt, P.C.
26 N. 2nd Street
Memphis, TN 38103
Telephone: (901) 527-4673
E-Mail: CLICK HERE

The authors practice in the Mid South and Metropolitan Memphis area, an area encompassing Western Tennessee, Eastern Arkansas and Northern Mississippi. Some cities covered in our wide range of practice include Memphis (TN), Cordova (TN), Bartlett (TN), Collerville (TN), Millington (TN), Covington (TN), Somerville (TN), Ripley (TN), Dyersburg (TN), Tiptonville (TN), Union City (TN), Dresden (TN), Humboldt (TN), Milan (TN), Trenton (TN), Alamo (TN), Brownsville (TN), Jackson (TN), Bolivar (TN), Henderson (TN), Lexington (TN), Selmer (TN), Savannah (TN), Parsons (TN), McKenzie (TN), Huntingdon (TN), Paris (TN), West Memphis (AR), Marion (AR), Southhaven (MS), Olive Branch (MS), Hernando (MS), Horn Lake (MS), and Senatobia (MS). This also includes the following counties: SHelby (TN), Tipton (TN), Lauderdale (TN), Dyer (TN), Lake (TN), Obion (TN), Gibson (TN) Crockett (TN), Haywood (TN), Fayette (TN), Hardeman (TN), Madison (TN) Henderson (TN), Carroll (TN), HHenry (TN), Benton (TN), Chester (TN), Decatur (TN), McNairy (TN), Hardin (TN) Perry (TN), Tunica (MS), Desoto (MS), Tate (MS), Marshall (MS), Lafayette (MS), Crittendon (AR), Mississippi (AR), Poinsett (AR), Craighead (AR), Cross (AR), St. Francis (AR), Lee (AR), Phillips (AR). Even if you are outside of these areas, we may still be able to help, so please contact us today, as our attorneys are licensed in numerous state courts and federal courts, and can still assist in finding you an attorney to help you with your needs.