Man Wins Nearly $1M for Eyeball Explosion
A doctor injected to much anesthetic into the man's eye.
KXAS
A man reaches and almost $1 million settlement after a botched surgery severely damaged his eye.
A 60-year-old Army veteran has won a $925,000 settlement with the Department of Veterans Affairs after being blinded in one eye during what should have been a routine outpatient cataract operation, his attorney said on Monday.
Jose Goncalves, of Hartford, was blinded in his right eye when a third-year resident at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in West Haven made the mistake of administering an anesthetic during the procedure on Nov. 1. 2007, attorney Christopher Bernard said in a statement released on Monday.
The resident injected too much anesthetic, causing his eyeball to explode, Bernard said.
“This should have been a routine procedure as it is for countless people every day. When proper techniques are used, this particular complication should never occur,” Bernard said. "If anything should ever happen to the undamaged left eye, he could face total blindness."
The U.S. attorney's office, which represented the VA, declined to comment, the Associated Press reports.
The resident, Dr. Yue Michelle Wang, also declined to comment to the Associated Press.
She wasn't sued because doctors who work for the federal government have immunity, Bernard said.
Wang incorrectly placed a needle with a local anesthetic directly into Goncalves' eye instead of behind his eye, Bernard said.
Despite surgeries meant to save the damaged eye and to increase his eyesight, Goncalves has no functional vision in that eye, his attorney said.
He is only able to see a rough outline of his hand when held about 6 inches in front of his face, Bernard said.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport in 2009 against the VA, argued that Goncalves' injuries were a result of carelessness and negligence by the doctors at the Veterans' Administration facility,
Goncalves suffers from a significant lack of depth perception, making him unable to resume his previous job as a roofer, his attorney said.
He now works in the maintenance department at Central Connecticut State University.
Goncalves is unable to drive except for short distances. Reading, watching television and going to movies are difficult because the undamaged eye tires so quickly, Bernard said.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Connecticut
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