Eyelid surgery gone wrong; what do you do if your surgeon refuses to accept blame?

America is using cosmetic and plastic surgery like never before. For health reasons, and also for purely aesthetic causes, the country is turning to its surgeons in a bid to achieve perfection. One of the most common plastic surgery procedures in America today is an eyelid surgery - known in medical terms as a blepharoplasty.

The surgery is used to correct age-related droopy eyelids, and also for making one's eyes look younger. Most of the time, the patient comes out of surgery happy and content, but every once in a while something goes wrong and the patient is left wondering who was at fault. Especially if the surgeon who performed the procedure is hesitant to accept his fault in order to avoid a lawsuit.

Always ask for a second opinion

Not long back, there was a case in New York where a female patient had an eyelid surgery that went horribly wrong. The woman had visited a local plastic surgeon for help with droopy eyelids, and the surgeon suggested a blepharoplasty. Post surgery, the patient had a huge problem; her eyelids would not shut down completely. She even went to sleep with her half her lids open!

The worst part of it at all was that the doctor refused to tell her he had done something wrong. Instead, he kept repeating that everything would be normal in a few days. Only when the patient took a second opinion did she realize that her doctor had cut away too much of the muscle in her eyelids during the surgery, due to which they would not shut completely.

A botched surgery calls for a lawsuit

A botched eyelid surgery can have severe consequences. Not only does it drastically alter the way you look, it can also cause dry and itchy eyes. You may also need to take lifelong precautions like wearing sunglasses at night to avoid scratching your corneas, and using eye lubricants to avoid dryness. A corrective surgery may help if done in time, but many patients end up waiting too long to use corrective surgery because their doctor would not tell them he had done something wrong in the first place.

Too many foul ups

Many doctors and surgeons avoid accepting guilt due to the fear of a lawsuit. The consequences of their cowardly action are borne by their patients who live their life coping with physical and mental trauma. Some patients who seek expert help end up filing a lawsuit and winning compensation for the losses they have suffered. In the above case for instance, the concerned patient was able to file a lawsuit in a New York court. The New York State Department of Health, based on the numerous complaints against the surgeon, then revoked the surgeon's license and closed down his practice.

It may be hard to prove medical malpractice in a plastic surgery case in New York, but it's definitely not impossible. If you suspect any foul play in your own surgery, you should obtain a second medical opinion promptly, and then find a dedicated and solid medical lawyer to handle your case in court or out of it!