Did an optometrist’s error cause you harm in Boca Raton, FL? You may be entitled to hold the responsible party liable for compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A Boca Raton optometrist malpractice lawyer at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers can help you navigate the complex legal process.
Our legal team has been fighting to help victims of medical errors recover fair compensation since 1996. We’ve already recovered millions of dollars for injured clients across South Florida.
Do you need legal advice about your case? Contact our law offices in Boca Raton, FL, by calling (561) 347-7770 right away to schedule a free consultation.
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How Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers Can Help With Your Optometrist Malpractice Claim in Boca Raton
It can be scary to learn that you’ve been hurt because of a negligent doctor. When your eyesight is at risk, it can be even more frightening. The consequences of optometrist malpractice can be far-reaching. Fortunately, you have the right to hold your negligent health care provider accountable.
You’ll need to comply with complicated Florida medical malpractice laws to recover damages. You should also expect a fight with the insurance company to recover the full amount you deserve. An experienced Boca Raton personal injury lawyer at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers can help you through this process.
Our attorneys will:
- Investigate to pinpoint the cause of your injury
- Hire experts to outline the standard of care your optometrist should have followed
- Work with specialists to determine your damages, both past and future
- Negotiate with your doctor’s insurance company to maximize your compensation award
Our award-winning lawyers have been recognized for their skill in personal injury law. We’re confident that we can use our reputation and our experience to your advantage. Our Boca Raton personal injury attorneys always work on a contingency basis. That means we’ll only recover attorneys’ fees if we win compensation in your case.
Were you hurt in Boca Raton, FL, because your eye doctor made a mistake? Call today to learn more about how we can help with your malpractice claim.
How Common is Optometrist Malpractice in Boca Raton?
Optometrists are a type of primary care doctor focused on vision and eye health. Usually, the optometrist is your first line of defense when it comes to diagnosing diseases and injuries that impact the eyes. It’s the optometrist’s job to identify problems and get you the specialized medical care you need to protect your eyes.
We’ve all seen the statistic: medical errors are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. While most optometrist errors aren’t fatal, they can still cause serious problems.
Misdiagnosis is by far the most common type of medical error. Around 33% of all medical malpractice claims between 2013 and 2017 were based on diagnostic errors. The number is slightly higher (35%) in the field of optometry. Failure to properly diagnose an eye injury can have serious, life-long vision consequences.
What is My Boca Raton Optometrist Malpractice Case Worth?
Assessing the fair value of your injury claim is one of the most important parts of the personal injury process. However, it’s rarely simple. Our lawyers have the experience and resources to fully evaluate your claim to get you the full amount you deserve.
Factors that tend to impact the value of a medical malpractice case include:
- Whether the harm you’ve suffered is permanent
- Whether you’ll be required to miss work or change career paths
- The nature of your past and future medical treatment
- The impact of the injury on your daily routine
- The psychological and physical toll you’ve suffered
The nature of your optometrist’s mistake can also play a role in putting a fair value on your injury case. Some mistakes are so blatant that they should simply never happen.
You can count on our lawyers at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers to hire the strongest expert witnesses possible to testify on your behalf to maximize your compensation award.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Optometrist Malpractice?
If your optometrist’s mistake amounted to malpractice, you could be entitled to substantial compensation. Victims of medical malpractice are usually entitled to both economic and non-economic damages related to their injuries.
Economic damages cover your financial expenses after an injury, such as:
- Past and future medical bills
- Surgeries
- Medications
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning potential
- Rehabilitation
- Transportation costs
- Household assistance
Your non-economic damages compensate for the subjective losses you’ve suffered.
Our lawyers will fight to recover full compensation for your:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety and depression
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of your independence
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
Never underestimate the costs of an eye injury. You could be entitled to much more than just your medical care. Some victims of optometrist malpractice lose the ability to drive or even read without assistance.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Optometrist Malpractice Injuries
The consequences of optometrist malpractice can range from mild blurred vision to serious long-term consequences.
An optometrist’s mistake can cause:
- A worsened underlying condition
- Blurred vision
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
- Pain and headaches
- Infection
- Problems with depth perception
- Inability to detect color
- Blindness
- Unnecessary surgeries and medical procedures
Did your medical care leave you worse off than before? You might not know exactly what went wrong. Our lawyers at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers can help you get to the bottom of it. Give us a call today to learn more about establishing an attorney-client relationship.
What Causes Most Optometrist Malpractice in Boca Raton, Florida?
At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of optometrist negligence cases, including those involving:
- Failure to diagnose a condition
- Misdiagnosis
- Failure to order proper testing
- Medication errors
- Failure to refer the patient to an ophthalmologist or specialist
- Failure to properly monitor a patient after a procedure
- Lack of informed consent
- Failure to obtain a full patient history
- Surgery malpractice
- Failure to use sanitary equipment
- Prescribing the wrong eyeglasses or contact lenses
Optometrists can’t fix every condition. They are, however, expected to provide a level of care that is consistent with the standards set by the medical community.
If you were a victim of an optometrist’s negligence in Palm Beach County or Miami Dade County, call our law firm to schedule a free consultation today.
How Do I Prove Negligence Based on Optometrist Malpractice in Florida?
Optometrist malpractice is a type of medical malpractice. There are a few specific things that you’ll have to prove to recover compensation based on medical negligence in the state of Florida.
You’ll have to establish:
- The optometrist’s legal standard of care
- A breach of the duty of care
- The breach caused you to suffer harm
- The amount of damages you’re entitled to receive
The optometrist’s legal duty of care is based on what a reasonable optometrist would have done under the circumstances. Within the medical community, eye doctors are expected to provide a certain level of care. If your optometrist deviated from that standard of care and you were hurt, you could have a valid claim for compensation.
Florida medical malpractice laws put the burden of proof on the victim to establish the standard of medical care an optometrist should have provided. The law requires the victim to offer expert witness testimony from another medical professional to satisfy this standard.
Importantly, the standard of care is always evolving. Optometrists are expected to keep up with medical technology to provide competent care. Our lawyers in Boca Raton understand this–and we’re committed to providing the quality legal advice you deserve.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for Optometrist Malpractice in Florida?
In Florida, you have two years to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. This time limit is called the statute of limitations. Once the two-year period is over, you’ll lose your right to compensation.
However, you could have more time to sue for damages if you didn’t know about your injuries right away. In this case, your deadline will extend two years from the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered the harm. This “discovery rule” can complicate matters.
If you’re curious about your rights, it’s always a smart idea to call an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. That way, we can start working to preserve your rights before the deadline.
Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Boca Raton, FL for a Free Consultation
We don’t have to explain the importance of your eyesight. When something impacts your vision, it can impact every part of your life.
Were you hurt because of an optometrist’s mistake in Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach? Call a Boca Raton medical malpractice lawyer at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers today. You can also use our online contact form. Your initial consultation is 100% free of charge, so don’t wait to take legal action.