130 patients at University Hospital of Wales have undergone vital cataract surgery that is now under review for possible substandard treatment leaving some patients with potentially life-changing injuries.
In a recent story published by Wales Online, a local pensioner attended hospital for a routine operation to remove a cataract. Unfortunately, following the procedure, the patient was left with unexpected double vision and potentially permanent damage to her eye.
Furthermore, she wasn’t the only one. Earlier this year over one hundred NHS patients underwent vital cataracts surgery at the University Hospital of Wales through a private company. It is believed that of those referred, 21 patients have either needed further intense treatment as a result of the initial surgery or are being further reviewed by ophthalmologists due to ongoing symptoms.
What Are the Tell-Tale Signs the Surgery Went Wrong?
The surgery that one patient experienced took just over two hours. This is considerably longer than the standard time expected. As per the NHS website, any normal cataract surgery should only take between 30 and 40 minutes.
She also mentions there was no aftercare or advice offered post-surgery.
What If I Have Experienced Something Similar?
With any surgery that you have, there is always a possibility of anticipated risks. Prior to any surgery those risks should be explained to you so that you can give your full-permission for the surgery to proceed. Following surgery you should always be informed of any complications that may have been experienced and the relevance of those.
In the highlighted cases, the cataract patients were not given any feedback following surgery. The fact that some of the patients underwent hours of surgery in what should have been straightforward procedures undertaken within an hour, was simply ignored.
If you or someone you know is either one of these cataracts patients, or has experienced something similar, please contact our successful medical negligence team here at Howells. You may have a case for compensation.
(main image: Imrankabirhossain under CC BY-SA 4.0)
