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No Negligence in Cataract Surgery
An ophthalmologist performing cataract surgery on an octogenarian patient encountered severe iris prolapse attributed to prior use of uroxatrol and floppy iris syndrome. After repositing the iris, the surgeon encountered a corneal wound burn, but ultimately completed the surgery through a different incision. The patient was left with severe astigmatism, updrawn pupil and cystoid macular edema. These conditions were treated by others, and the plaintiff eventually achieved good visual acuity in the eye, albeit with blurriness, glare and distorted vision.
The plaintiff claimed that the burn could only have a occurred if the surgeon ignored the “no aspiration” warning on the Alcon Centurion phacoemulsification machine. The surgeon and scrub nurse both testified that no alarm went off.
After two hours of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous verdict for the defendant. James M. Furey, Jr. represented the defendant.