Meredith Friesen  |  March 3, 2015

Category: Consumer News

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Newborn baby minutes after the birthRetinopathy of prematurity, or baby blindness, is a relatively new birth injury, but one that may be avoided. Birth injury lawsuits have claimed that medical malpractice caused their infant to suffer from the birth injury.

Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity is caused when the blood vessels in the retina grow abnormally or cease growing altogether.

Retinopathy of prematurity is most commonly found in premature infants who have extreme low birth weight. The condition is generally found in both eyes and may affect the infant for their entire lives. It is important that parents have their newborn examined several weeks after birth in order to best protect their child from the condition progressing.

There are five stages of retinopathy of prematurity. Stage one may affect vision a little, but it will improve over time without treatment and without worsening. Stage two will also resolve on its own, but it may take a little longer due to more blood vessel growth. Stage three may require some treatment, if the blood vessels move too close to the center of the eye, but it is curable. Stage four involves a partially detached retina. Stage five is when the child has a completely detached retina and it’s at this stage that lifelong blindness is a high concern.

Retinopathy of prematurity may also cause vision problems later in life.

Several surgeries, including laser, may be done to improve upon or cure baby blindness side effects.

Birth Injury Medical Malpractice

Some cases of retinopathy of prematurity are more or less unavoidable. However, factors such as breathing, respiratory distress and others may cause an infant to experience retinopathy or prematurity. These factors may be influenced by medical malpractice.

Other risk factors as listed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine may include:

  • Brief stop in breathing (apnea)
  • Heart disease
  • High carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood
  • Infection
  • Low blood acidity (pH)
  • Low blood oxygen
  • Respiratory distress
  • Slow heart rate (bradycardia)
  • Transfusions

Treatment may be expensive for the family and could also permanently affect the future vision of the infant.

Parents whose child developed birth injuries such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, brachial plexus and other condition have filed birth injury lawsuits against doctors and nurses for medical malpractice. Parents have often sought for compensation for medical bills, cost of living, loss of future earnings, and other damages.

A birth injury is different than a birth defect though many might equate them. Birth defects involve the DNA of an infant and can be caused by medication taken during pregnancy or other factors.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The medical malpractice attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual birth injury lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, birth injury lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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