Location: California
I recently got a rhinoplasty, and while the results of the rhinoplasty itself have been great, one of the nurses appear to have accidentally gotten hibiclens (a standard antiseptic) into my eyes. Since they also tape your eyes shut during the surgery, it was essentially trapped in my eyes for 2 hours. It is very well documented that hibiclens (chlorhexadine gluconate) causes severe eye damage, and I am still experiencing eye pain 8 days after surgery. I got chemical conjunctivitis in both eyes, and a severe corneal abrasion in just my right eye. It is currently unclear whether or not there will be permanent damage.
For some additional context: The nurses had no idea they had gotten anything into my eyes, and even after I woke up and explained that my eyes felt like they were burning and were bloodshot, they just thought it was a side effect of the anesthesia.
Does this seem like something I could sue for?
Comments
There are lots of potential stumbling blocks here:
(1) can you prove this is what happened to a reasonable degree of medical certainty?
(2) did it happen as a result of negligence? When a careful medical professional following proper procedures slips, that isn’t negligence;
(3) are your damages high enough for a medical malpractice case. If there is no permanent damage, almost certainly not.
I have my doubts about whether a lawyer will take this case, but the calls are quick and free, so why listen to someone on reddit? If you make the calls, you’ll know.
Consult a med mal lawyer about it and gather evidence