New Jersey Lasik Eye Surgery Malpractice Lawyer

Patient undergoing lasik eye surgery in an operating room

Since LASIK eye surgery arrived on the scene about 50 years ago, more and more patients have turned to the operation to improve or perfect their vision without glasses or contact lenses. As with other medical advances, however, many people have suffered negative consequences due to surgical negligence. If you have been harmed by LASIK eye surgery malpractice, the accomplished personal injury attorneys at Nagel Rice LLP are here to help you recover meaningful damages.

For decades, our LASIK eye surgery malpractice attorneys have fought to defend the rights of clients like you who have looked forward to a life of permanently corrected vision, only to have their hopes dashed and to end up in far worse shape than they were before the operation. Our lawyers are well-prepared to fight aggressively on your behalf. 

Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your options. We can be reached at our offices in Roseland or Manhattan and are eager to bring you a successful outcome. Rest assured that when you work with Nagel Rice, you are working with highly skilled attorneys. We have won over $1 billion for our clients and will charge you nothing until we win your case.

What is LASIK Eye Surgery?

As its name suggests, LASIK eye surgery uses laser beams to change the shape of the cornea (the dome of clear tissue at the front of the eye) in order to correct for nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism.

Common Visual Complications of LASIK Eye Surgery

In spite of the high rate of successful LASIK eye surgeries, the promising statistics mean nothing to you if you are one of the misfortunate patients left with damage after the operation, such as: 

  • Astigmatism
  • Blurred vision
  • Double vision
  • Severely dry eyes 
  • Glare, halos, and starbursts interfering with your vision
  • Pain, light sensitivity, and diminished detail vision (due to macular holes)
  • Reduced vision in dim light (at dusk, in fog)
  • Undercorrections or overcorrections (when too much or too little tissue is removed)

Because so much of life depends on visual acuity, such symptoms, depending on their severity and duration, may interfere with your work, your recreation, and your daily routine.

Most Complications of LASIK Eye Surgery Are the Result of Medical Negligence

Medical negligence is defined as deviating from the standard of care that a reasonable medical professional would use in the same situation. Negligence in medicine often takes the form of omission rather than commission, such as when your ophthalmologist:

  • Fails to take a full medical history or does not use the data it contains appropriately
  • Fails to diagnose pre-existing conditions that may contraindicate surgery or other treatment
  • Fails to provide necessary follow-up postsurgical care

Our well-respected litigation skills and our reputation for playing hardball allows us to take on even the most high-profile LASIK surgeons.

The Services Nagel Rice LASIK Malpractice Attorneys Provide

Once our attorneys consult with you and determine that you have a viable case, we will do whatever it takes to recover maximum damages, including:

  • Examine all of your medical records, before, during, and after LASIK surgery
  • Note any pre-existing conditions that your surgeon knew about but ignored
  • Investigate your doctor’s office procedures for carelessness or ineptitude
  • Note how much time your ophthalmologist routinely takes with each patient
  • Check into how much follow-up care your doctor typically gives LASIK patients
  • Consult with experts in the field of LASIK eye surgery to confirm that you are a victim of medical malpractice
  • Figure out precisely what your compensation should be considering the medical costs, lost income, and permanent disability that may have resulted from your improper care. 

Our LASIK eye surgery malpractice attorneys will use the above assessment to create a winning courtroom strategy.

Pre-Existing Conditions May Have Made You a Poor Candidate for LASIK Surgery

We can prove medical malpractice if your ophthalmologist failed to screen you meticulously to see whether you were indeed a good candidate for a LASIK procedure. Too many ophthalmologists are so eager to bill for another surgery that they neglect proper protocol when screening patients. 

Your eye doctor should have informed you of the fact that you were at increased risk for serious problems after LASIK eye surgery if you had any of the following conditions: 

  • Autoimmune disorders (celiac disease, multiple sclerosis)
  • Weakened immune system caused by immunosuppressive medications (e.g. for rheumatoid arthritis or HIV)
  • Glaucoma, cataracts, eye injury, or an eyelid disorder
  • Severe nearsightedness, very large pupils, very thin corneas
  • Keratoconus (misshapen cornea) or a family history of this disorder
  • Herpes simplex of the eye
  • Inflammation of any part of the eye
  • Persistent dry eyes
  • Presbyopia (age-related lack of clear vision)
  • Unstable vision due to medications or hormonal changes

Contact Our Experienced LASIK Eye Surgery Malpractice Attorney Today

Procrastinating in regard to a malpractice claim is never a good idea. For one thing, the wheels of justice move slowly and the statute of limitations for personal injury in New Jersey is two years. For another, the sooner you get in touch with us, the sooner we can begin amassing evidence and working on our courtroom strategy. 

Don’t lose time by letting your ophthalmologist convince you that your eye problem will resolve eventually. Contact us now for the excellent legal representation you require to receive the compensation you deserve.

Nagel Rice LLP helps their clients with their LASIK malpractice claims throughout New Jersey including Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex Counties.