Doctors safely perform most eye treatments in New York. However, doctors sometimes make mistakes that can reduce a person’s sight or even cause blindness. If you suffered because of the errors made by an eye doctor or other medical professional, you may be entitled to compensation.
Potential eye injury claims
Settlements in eye surgery claims can vary drastically based on the severity of the injury and the circumstances surrounding it. Even minor eye injuries can be devastating. In addition to the physical pain, there is the accompanying emotional trauma resulting from diminished or complete vision loss.
No set number or range of compensation applies to eye surgery claims. Compensation can vary from victim to victim. Some factors impacting the settlement amount include the injury type and severity. The more serious the injury, the more compensation a person might receive. For example, suppose an eye surgery complication leads to total vision loss or results in a person needing multiple surgeries. In that case, they might get higher compensation than someone who suffered a minor injury that will resolve independently in just a few weeks.
Proving liability
An important part of eye surgery claims is proving that the surgeon or another medical professional was at fault for the injury. This involves proving that the medical professional owes you a duty of care duty of care, that they violated that duty of care, and as a result, you suffered an injury to your eye.
If the plaintiff’s favor results in a settlement, the court may award damages for economic and noneconomic losses. Economic damages are things like medical bills, lost wages and out-of-pocket expenses. Noneconomic damages include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, emotional trauma, etc. The amount of compensation a person might receive for noneconomic damages can be challenging to determine as it depends on the specifics of each case.
Suffering damage to your eyes after surgery is devastating. Thankfully, there are laws in place to help individuals who have suffered these types of damages receive compensation.