Eye Surgeries Go Terribly Wrong

CHICAGO (CN) - A doctor botched minor eye surgery, piercing a patient's eye with a needle, and another doctor's follow-up surgery took her sight from the other eye, the woman claims in court.

Evelyn Walton sued Drs. Donna Johnson and Calvin Grant, St. Joseph Hospital, Advanced Retinal Institute, Advocate Christ Hospital, and Stryker Corp., in Cook County Court.

Walton says she went to Saint Joseph Hospital in September 2010 "for removal of a small benign cyst on her right upper eyelid."

During the procedure, she says, "Johnson penetrated Evelyn's right eye with a needle, resulting in, among other things, Evelyn's loss of eye sight in her right eye."

The complaint states: "According to the operating report, Donna L. Johnson, M.D. states that the eye surgery stretcher suddenly dropped during the procedure.

"If the foregoing is true, Saint Joseph ... failed to properly maintain or set up the eye surgery stretcher used by Donna L. Johnson, M.D. during her treatment of Evelyn on September 15, 2010 in such a manner that would have prevented the bed and/or head rest from suddenly dropping during the procedure."

After this, Walton says, she sought treatment from defendant Dr. Grant at the Advanced Retinal Institute.

In the following months, Grant "negligently treated both Evelyn's right and left eyes with radical, unrecognized and medically unacceptable techniques that included the placement of a shunt connecting her left eye with her right eye," Walton claims.

She says Grant "perform[ed] multiple surgeries on Evelyn at Advocate [Hospital] on and after September 15, 2010, leading to loss of vision in both her left and right eyes."

Walton seeks damages for medical negligence, or, in the alternative, strict product liability against Stryker Corporation, the manufacturer of the eye surgery stretcher.

She is represented by Robert Geimer.

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