A botched laser surgery procedure in 2017 left a woman with double and blurry vision as well as severe headaches and migraines, according to a Health and Disability Commissioner report released today.
The ophthalmologist, while working at a clinic that is no longer operating, failed to have checking procedures in place during LASIK surgery to treat a woman’s long-sightedness.
The absence of those procedures meant an incorrect treatment pack size was selected.
The small size, rather than the medium, meant the laser failed to cut through the cornea completely.
As a result, the flap size was smaller than expected, and the laser could not complete the side cut of the flap.
Former commissioner Anthony Hill was critical that the ophthalmologist chose to complete this part of the surgery manually, rather than abandoning the procedure and allowing the cornea to heal before performing the treatment later.
Hill was also critical that the clinic did not have any policies or procedures in place to prevent mixing up of the different size packs, or a checking process to ensure that the correct size was used for the procedure.
The lack of notes in the woman’s clinical record about the information provided to her regarding the risks of surgery was also concerning to Hill, who considered the clinic’s consent form "rudimentary and non-specific in terms of complication".
The report recommended that the ophthalmologist undertake further training on documentation and an audit of his informed consent process over the last six months.
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