Description of Event or Problem · 1
DOCTOR PERFORMED PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY WITH THE EXCIMER LASER. DR NEVER DISCUSSED COMPLICATIONS AND RISKS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCEDURE. NEVER DISCUSSED ADVERSE EFFECTS ON INTERMEDIATE VISION. THE PROBLEM IS NOT NECESSARILY WITH THE PRODUCT BUT THE FACT THAT DOCTORS ARE PERFORMING THIS SURGERY ON ANYONE. ACCORDING TO RPTR ARTICLES HAVE APPEARED IN TIME MAGAZINE AND ON NATIONAL TELEVISION WARNING PEOPLE TO INVESTIGATE THIS PROCEDURE THOROUGHLY. DURING A YEARLY EYE CHECK UP, RPTR'S ROOMMATE, A DR AND HERSLF HAD A BRIEF DISCUSSION ON OPTION OF LASIK CORRECTIVE EYE SURGERY, AS OPPOSED TO WEARING GLASSES. BECAUSE THIS WAS A NEW PROCEDURE FOR DR, ROOMMATE ASKED IF SHE COULD BE A "GUINEA PIG." HE AGREED AND OFFERED HER A CONSIDERABLE DISCOUNT ON PROCEDURE. HE OFFERED RPTR THE SAME OPTION. HE HAD SEVERAL APPOINTMENTS WITH ROOMMATE PRIOR TO SURGERY, SOME WHICH RPTR ACCOMPANIED HER TO. DURING THIS SURGERY DR IS REQUIRED TO USE A "FLAP CUTTER" ON EYE PRIOR TO LASER PROCESS. DURING HER SURGERY FLAP CUTTER HE WAS USING WAS THE INCORRECT SIZE AND THEY HAD TO ABORT, CHOOSING TO RESCHEDULE HER AT A LATER DATE. THEN SCHEDULED RPTR'S SURGERY FOR A FRIDAY, SO SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN TO WORK ON MONDAY(WHICH WAS IMPOSSIBLE). ON FRIDAY 6/4/99 DR CUT A SMALL "FLAP" ON RPTR'S RIGHT EYE & PROCEEDED WITH LASER PROCESS. PROCEDURE ON LEFT EYE WAS NOT AS SIMPLE. DR HAD TO TRY 2 DIFFERENT SIZE "FLAP-CUTTERS" BEFORE HE WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH THIRD. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE, PAINFUL AND FRIGHTENING SITUATION. HE THEN PROCEEDED WITH LASER PROCESS ON LEFT. BECAUSE OF THESE EXPERIENCES, DR DECIDED TO STOP USING THESE CUTTERS & CHANGED TO ANOTHER MFR. RPTR HAD A FOLLOW-UP VISIT ON 6/5 TO EXAMINE EYES & CONDITION OF FLAPS. RPTR WAS ALREADY BEGINNING TO SEE "DISTANCE" A BIT CLEARER, BUT VISION WITHIN 5 FT WAS A COMPLETE BLUR. 6/11/99 APPOINTMENT WAS TO CHECK CONDITION OF EYES & MEASURE DISTANCE VISION, WHICH WAS GETTING MORE CLEAR, BUT PREDOMINANTLY IN LEFT EYE. RPTR TOLD DR THAT SHE WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT INTERMEDIATE VISION WHICH WAS COMPLETELY BLURRY. IT WAS ONLY THEN THAT HE NOTIFIED RPTR THAT HER INTERMEDIATE VISION WAS GOING TO BE IMPAIRED. RPTR WAS EXTREMELY UPSET. ON 6/24, 7/7 & 7/15 RPTR & DR DISCUSSED THIS INTERMEDIATE VISION PROBLEM. RPTR WAS FRUSTRATED, STRESSED & IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE WITH. DR SUGGESTED TRYING A "MONO VISION" SOLUTION. THIS ENTAILS WEARING ONE CONTACT LENS IN ONE EYE FOR DISTANCE AND ONE LENS IN OTHER FOR "READING & INTERMEDIATE" VISION. 7/23/99 RPTR REC'D LENSES. FOR SEVERAL WEEKS RPTR TRIED LENSES BUT COULD NOT DEAL WITH DISCOMFORT OR ADJUST TO SITUATION. NOW BOTH HER NEAR VISION & INTERMEDIATE VISION IS SEVERELY IMPAIRED. DISTANCE VISION IN RIGHT EYE IS STILL BLURRED. PRIOR TO THIS "CORRECTIVE SURGERY" RPTR WORE PROGRESSIVE LENS GLASSES TO IMPROVE HER MODERATE NEARSIGHTEDNESS & FARSIGHTEDNESS. SHE FUNCTIONED QUITE WELL WITHOUT GLASSES & JUST USED THEM TO ENHANCE VISION. NOW RPTR MUST RELY ON GLASSES FOR ALMOST EVERYTHING SHE DOES; SIMPLEST OF TASKS REQUIRE GLASSES. RPTR NEVER REACHED FOR GLASSES FIRST THING IN MORNING. NOW SHE DOES NEED THEM TO EAT, COMB HAIR, LOOK AT A WATCH OR CLOCK, TIE SHOES, ETC. DURING 8/19 DISCUSSION WITH DR, RPTR MADE IT CLEAR THAT INFO HE GAVE RPTR PRIOR TO SURGERY WAS INACCURATE. "THAT I WOULD ONLY BE REQUIRED TO WEAR GLASSES TO READ." IF RPTR HAD KNOWN WHAT RESULTS OF SURGERY WOULD BE RPTR WOULD NEVER HAVE HAD PROCEDURE. HE DISCUSSED HER BEING A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR SURGERY PRIOR TO IT, BUT RPTR ASKS WHAT CONSTITUTES A GOOD CANDIDATE. WHAT HE DETERMINED WAS HEALTH OF EYES, NOT HER DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES. HE NEVER DISCUSSED WHAT SHE DID FOR A LIVING(COMPUTER SALES), HOW SHE SPENT A MAJORITY OF TIME, OR HOW HER AGE MIGHT EFFECT OUTCOME. HE HAS SINCE EXPLAINED THAT THIS SURGERY AFTER AGE 45 CANNOT GUARANTEE BEST RESULTS. HE REPEATEDLY REFERRED TO HER DISTANCE VISION, AND HOW SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS. HE TOLD HER HE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH HER ROOMMATE PRIOR TO HER SURGERY, & BECAUSE SHE WAS THERE FOR A MAJORITY OF HER VISITS, HE DIDN'T THINK TO GO OVER THIS AGAIN WITH HER. DURING A PHONE CONVERSATION 8/25 DR TOLD HER THAT THERE WAS NO WAY HE COULD SPEND ALL THE TIME NECESSARY TO DISCUSS ALL POSSIBLE RESULTS OF PROCEDURE. RPTR BELIEVES IT IS DR'S RESPONSIBILTY TO DISCUSS ALL SURGICAL PROCEDURES AS WELL AS ANY POSSIBLE OUTCOME AS A RESULT OF THIS SURGERY. NEITHER DR NOR THE LITERATURE HE DISTRIBUTED EVER DESCRIBED POSSIBILITY OF IMPAIREMENT OF INTERMEDIATE VISION.