A recent medical malpractice lawsuit claims that a doctor’s negligence caused a woman to lose her vision and suffer complications.

In February 2018, plaintiff Christine C. says she went to the emergency room at the Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital (NNRH) run by LifePoint Health Inc. During her trip to the emergency room, Christine was reportedly diagnosed with a right eye corneal abrasion and acute bacterial conjunctivitis.

The emergency room doctor allegedly used Tetracaine to numb her right eye when performing the eye exam, causing Christine’s vision to blur despite helping with the pain. A CT was also performed on Christine but reportedly showed “no remarkable findings.” She was discharged from NNRH by the doctor and Christine’s daughter was allegedly told to administer Tetracaine eye drops every 2 hours until Christine was able to see her doctor.

A few days later, Christine says she was able to see her eye doctor. In the interim, she allegedly applied the Tetracaine eye drops around 26 times to manage her pain. Although Christine believed the eye drops to be helping her condition, they allegedly did more harm than good.

Her ophthalmologist allegedly diagnosed her with marked diffuse corneal edema due to medicamentosa, otherwise known as an irritative or allergic reaction to a medication. She was reportedly also told that her cornea “appeared to be melted.” Christine says her doctor told her that she should not have been given the Tetracaine eye drops and that those medications were rarely if ever prescribed to patients.

Through follow-up visits and an eventual referral to a specialist, Christine says she was told that she would need a corneal transplant to treat her condition. These discussions are still underway, but Christine alleges she has completely lost her vision in her right eye and has episodes of pain, discomfort, and tearing.

Christine argues that her condition is a direct result of negligent actions by the NNRH emergency room doctor. She filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against NNRH and its operator, seeking compensatory and special damages over $75,000 as well as interest, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

“The Plaintiff’s loss of vision, and other ocular medical issues, were directly related to and caused by the prolonged use of the medication Tetracaine Ophthalmic Solution (0.5%). […] This medication is principally used for and during surgical procedures and always under the supervision and guidance of a physician,” the medical malpractice lawsuit claims. “Under no conditions should a medication (such as Tetracaine) be given or prescribed to a patient by any healthcare facility nurse or other provider other than a licensed physician.”

Medical malpractice laws are normally based in laws of negligence and allow patients to seek compensation when a health care practitioner fails to show reasonable skill when caring for patients. A variety of professionals can be targeted in medical malpractice lawsuits including surgeons, dentists, nurses, chiropractors, social workers, midwives, and more.

In order for a medical malpractice suit to be successful, plaintiffs need to prove four legal elements:

1. A professional duty owed to the patient;
2. Breach of such professional duty;
3. Injury caused by the breach of professional duty;
4. And damages resulting from such injuries.

With the help of an experienced attorney, plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits may be able to recover compensation for their injuries.