Being negatively affected by the actions of a medical professional can leave many individuals with serious issues. Illinois residents may be interested in a case of hospital negligence that resulted in a woman being considered legally blind. The woman had a form of macular degeneration, and she went to a physician for treatment.
Though her condition could lead to impaired vision, blindness is not often an effect. Throughout her treatment, the woman first suffered degradation of the vision in her left eye. At some point, the doctor had given her a steroid injection in her right eye, but the steroid was too aggressive and led to her developing glaucoma. These issues resulted in her losing vision in the right eye as well as the eye shrinking. As a result, she had to have the eye removed.
It was noted that the woman already had a history of glaucoma, and the doctor apparently should not have used the steroid. The woman and her husband filed a lawsuit against the doctor for negligence and violating the standard of care. Their case recently reached a verdict, and the woman was awarded $4.7 million dollars, while her husband was awarded $350,000.
Physician and hospital negligence can have severe effects as this case shows. If Illinois residents have been the victims of such actions, they may wish to find out more information on medical malpractice claims. Filing a claim against the liable parties could allow individuals to seek their own compensation. Discussing their specific details with experienced attorneys could help interested parties determine their most viable options.
Source: unionleader.com, “Verdict awards couple $5M after procedures leave woman legally blind”, Kevin Landrigan, Dec. 9, 2016