wrong meds.

What is the name of your state? IN i scratched my eye and went to the emergency room. the doctor mistakenly put "ear drops" in my eye and then the nurse did. i, trusting the professionals, later that nite put more in my eye. all three times it felt like liquid fire!!! the next a.m. i finally saw the label "for use in ears only" and immediatly call the e.r. only then was i given the correct "sauve" for my eye and now it is red, swollen and distorted. my vision isnt affected.(3 days now). no dye was put in to determine the severity of the scratch, which was pretty bad, later determined by another dr.

grommett
Obviously, you did not suffer any significant damage to your eye; therefore, there is no method for being awarded damages (money).
Was it an act of negligence? Yes; medication errors are an act of negligence.
FYI--Eye drops can be used in the ears; ear drops are not used in the eyes because of the oil content which temporary blurs vision not because the medication is improper.
EC

ellencee said:

grommett
Obviously, you did not suffer any significant damage to your eye; therefore, there is no method for being awarded damages (money).
Was it an act of negligence? Yes; medication errors are an act of negligence.
FYI--Eye drops can be used in the ears; ear drops are not used in the eyes because of the oil content which temporary blurs vision not because the medication is improper.
EC

Click to expand...

And eye drops are also used as 'knockout' drops.

get free consultations

I advise you to get free legal consultations to determine if you have a case. You would not be awarded much since the damage is not great, but you should call a few attorneys anyway to see if it would be worth their time to get a few hundred dollars from those who injured you. It may just take a phone call and/or letter to the hospital by the attorney to get a small settlement. In any case, do not hire an attorney unless they work on consignment: they would get a portion of the settlement in return for their services. If you check the yellow pages of your telephone book, you will probably find ads by attorneys who offer free consultations. If you get a settlement, please post the outcome on this "thread."

IF THE HOSPITAL HAS THE NERVE TO BILL YOU, WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER ABOUT THE INJURY YOU SUFFERED! My advice is that you NOT pay the bill. The hospital can put their gripe on your credit report, but you can also add your side of the story on your credit report. You can also DISPUTE the bill via a procedure that credit report companies offer. Please post on this "thread" if the hospital bills you for their malpractice. It is my opinion that the hospital should also pay for your subsequent treatment for your eye injury. I am not an attorney.

keep the container

Addition to previous post: You should keep the container that held the eardrops and everything else, like all paperwork, connected with your case because the injury may turn out to be MUCH more serious than present circumstances indicate. There is probably a statute of limitations for medical malpractice in your state. If you accept a small settlement now and your injury turns out to be MUCH worse in the future, you will be out of luck unless the conditions of your settlement state in writing that future injuries are not covered by the first settlement. The hospital will probably refuse to pay anything unless you sign a statement that the first settlement will be the last...that any injury that manifests at a later date would not be compensated.

Grommett

In Indiana they have limits on awards for malpratice. Another thing is that you would be lucky if a lawyer would want to take this cause for the fact that they take 30 to 40% of what you win and your case wouldn't be worth very much if anything to them.

You would be better off talking to the hospital billing office and the ER Doctors billing office when they bill you about what has happened to you and tell them that you don't feel like you should have to pay for the bill do to the ER Dr messing up and putting ear drops in your eye instead of eye drops. Then if that doesn't work get the local news involved. Keep everything that you can from the hospital visit.( Ear drop that they put in your eye and everything else.) More then likely you will have to pay the bill.

interested in result

I would be interested in whether you have to pay the hospital bill even though they injured you. Please post here if you and/or your insurance company "cave" and pay for the malpractice in money as well as in physical injury.

Outrageous case: A woman told me that her son was burned by electrodes in a hospital, and then the hospital charged her insurance company for treating the burns that the hospital caused. The insurance company paid.

This would not be worth a lawyers time!!!!!!!!

This wouldn't be worth a lawyers time in Indiana because they want more money then a few hundred dollars and that's just the hard facts. I read the other day that some guy from Indiana lost his eye due to malpratice and he only recieved something like $35,000 and he lost an eye.

This person had a scratched eye that the Dr. put ear drops in that made it swollen, red, and distorted. Now it's fine after 3 days. This person should just deal with the billing people and try to work everything out that way. If that doesn't work then get the local media involved. But no lawyer is going to touch this thing.

It does not appear you have any significant or permanent damage. Unless this changes, you have no case.