Last Updated 23rd September 2025. In 2001, a patient underwent LASIK eye surgery at London’s Optimax Clinic. As required, the clinic carried out an assessment to determine whether or not the client was suitable for the treatment. He informed the ophthalmologist that due to an uneven cornea surface he had been refused laser treatment in South Africa. However, he had booked another appointment on the chance that technological improvements might now mean that he was suitable.
After taking the Orbscan readings, the ophthalmologist decided that the client was suitable for laser eye surgery. However, the readings clearly stated that this should not have been the conclusion. They showed abnormal results, which should have led to an irregular astigmatism being diagnosed. But, because it wasn’t, the laser eye surgery was carried out a month later. This caused a marked deterioration in the man’s vision, as well as an increase in terms of the degree of irregularity in the cornea’s shape.
As the client worked in a computer-based role, further surgery was necessary for the client to continue in his existing job. As a consequence, the ophthalmologist admitted fault and a settlement amount of £90,000 was agreed upn for his laser eye surgery compensation. This is one of numerous LASIK horror stories, and there have been cases involving different types of laser eye surgery. Read on to discover more about calculating compensation amounts.
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Laser Eye Surgery Gone Wrong – How Common Are Laser Eye Surgery Issues?
Cases of laser eye surgery gone wrong are not common, thankfully. Over the past decade, this type of surgery has progressed by huge amounts. Most patients do achieve 20/20 vision or better. Nevertheless, there are cases whereby the laser eye surgery does not turn out as expected. Yes, results do vary, but if vision has deteriorated or you have suffered any other issues due to negligence, you will be able to make a claim. You can take a look at a LASIK gone wrong forum online to discover more about the different issues that have happened.
Laser Eye Surgery Risks
Not only does laser eye surgery risks blindness, but there are other risks too, including:
- You may suffer from corneal estasia, which can lead to blindness. The patient may also need to undergo corneal transplant.
- Your eye may get infected.
- You may develop chronic dry, red eyes.
- You could end up with visual aberrations.
- Your vision may be over or under-corrected.
If any of the laser eye surgery problems that have been mentioned above have happened to you due to negligence, you will be able to make a claim. Legal Expert can facilitate this process for you making it simple and easy to go about the process of putting forward your claim.
What Can I Claim For Through Laser Eye Surgery Compensation?
When making a claim for laser eye surgery compensation, there are a number of different things you can claim damages for. Firstly, you can claim for the pain and the suffering, both in terms of the physical and psychological trauma. In addition to this, you can claim for any expenses you have had to fund due to the treatment. Not only does this include laser eye surgery cost, but also loss of earnings if you had to miss work, as the claimant discussed at the start of the guide did. You can also claim for travel expenses, childcare costs, the cost of counselling, and essentially anything else that is directly linked to what happened to you.
Am I Eligible To Claim For Laser Eye Surgery Compensation?
To claim laser eye surgery compensation, you must fulfil the following eligibility requirements:
- A healthcare professional owed you a duty of care
- A healthcare professional breached this duty of care
- You suffered avoidable harm as a result of the breach
In essence, all healthcare professionals have a duty to meet the minimum standard of care when providing treatment to patients. For instance, healthcare professionals should assess allergies when prescribing medications and provide the correct medical advice to patients as part of their duty. If a healthcare professional falls below this standard, it could result in unnecessary harm to patients.
Therefore, if you’ve received substandard care during laser eye surgery and suffered harm as a result, you could make a medical negligence claim. For instance, a surgeon may have performed wrong-site laser eye surgery on the incorrect eye. As a result, you could suffer from unnecessary damage, pain and psychological harm such as PTSD.
Moreover, healthcare professionals can provide substandard care in various medical situations. As such, you could experience laser eye surgery negligence:
- During a diagnosis
- During scans, X-rays and testing
- During surgery
Please keep reading our useful guide to learn about the kinds of negligence that may lead to laser eye surgery compensation. To learn more about your eligibility to claim, feel free to contact one of our friendly advisors today.
What Kinds Of Negligence Could Lead To Laser Eye Surgery Compensation?
While laser eye surgery is usually a quick procedure, a lot of precision is required along with precautions. Therefore, in order to be eligible to claim laser eye surgery compensation, you need to establish that the surgeon was negligent and caused avoidable harm. Some examples of laser eye surgery negligence include:
- Performing the surgery on the incorrect eye, causing unnecessary damage to an otherwise healthy eye.
- Using defective equipment for the surgery, which could cause an eye infection.
- A failure to inform the patient about the possible side effects, thereby not obtaining informed consent.
- Performing the surgery with the incorrect laser, which could cause a permanent loss of vision.
- Incorrectly conducting or recording measurements around the eye, which could cause scarring in the surrounding area.
- A failure to provide proper aftercare, causing irritation or discomfort in the eyes.
- Delayed diagnosis, due to a failure to follow up on eye tests, leading to an inability to cure the ailment.
We realise that every eye surgery claim is unique, and we may have missed out on your example above. You can contact our advisors to verify the eligibility of your claim. Call us now to avail of your free consultation and for help in calculating the compensation amount you deserve.
Claiming Against The Laser Eye Surgery Clinic – What’s Involved?
When making a claim against a laser eye surgery NHS clinic or private clinic, there are a number of steps you should take in order to build a strong case. This includes taking photographic evidence if applicable, as well as making an official complaint to the laser eye surgery in question. This will ensure that there is an official record of what happened, which can help you to strengthen your case for laser eye surgery compensation. You also need to contact a reputable and experienced law firm, which can help to build a strong claim for you. This is exactly what we can do at Legal Expert.
No Win No Fee Laser Eye Surgery Compensation Claims – What’s Involved?
It is also important that you make your claim for laser eye surgery compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis. This is guaranteed with Legal Expert. All of our claims are 100 per cent No Win, No Fee. This means that you only pay legal fees for our service if your case is successful and you are awarded compensation. This ensures that the financial worry that a lot of people have when making a claim with a traditional solicitor is eliminated. It also means that, no matter how much money you have in the bank, you can make a claim because there are no start-up costs.
Call Us For Free Advice
No matter whether you want to make a claim for laser eye surgery gone wrong Optical Expressor at any other clinic or business, or you simply have questions about the whole process, please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can contact the team at Legal Expert on 0800 073 8804. Or, if you would prefer, you can request a free call back via our website or you can chat to one of our advisors about laser eye surgery compensation through using the live chat facility on our website.
Useful Links
Hopefully, you have found the information above useful while looking for more information about making a claim for laser eye surgery compensation. However, if you still have queries, the links below may assist.
NHS – All about laser eye surgery
This link takes you to the NHS page on laser eye surgery and lens surgery for more information about the treatment. Whether you’re considering treatment or are looking to see what should have happened and perhaps did not in your case, this may be of use.
Eye Injuries – A Claiming Guide
This link takes you to our comprehensive guide on eye injury claims. Find out everything you need to know regarding making such a claim, including payout amounts.
