When a fetus is in utero, the blood vessels in its eyes start to develop around the fourth month of gestation. These vessels typically finish growing within the retina near the end of the third trimester, often close to the baby’s due date. However, if a baby is born very prematurely—meaning before 30 weeks of gestation—with a birth weight under three pounds, they are at risk of those blood vessels developing abnormally, potentially resulting in retinal problems which may cause permanent vision loss or blindness if not corrected.
Physicians who care for newborn babies are expected to know the signs of this particular birth complication and take prompt action to address it if it manifests, and a failure to do so could qualify as grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit, which our attorneys can help pursue. If your baby has been diagnosed with retinal detachment, retinal neovascularization, or any other serious eye problems after being born prematurely and underweight, you should strongly consider discussing your legal options with a Connecticut retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna, LLC.
The first two stages of retinopathy of prematurity do not require any medical treatment, although doctors caring for premature babies should still keep a close eye out for this condition in case it worsens instead of resolving on its own. Stage 3 ROP begins when neovascularization (abnormal blood vessel development) occurs. While the condition does not produce any outwardly visible symptoms at this stage or any others, this is the point at which doctors may recommend laser surgery or injections to fix the underlying problem.
At stage 4 of ROP, the condition has worsened to the point that partial retinal detachment has occurred, and even surgical intervention may not be enough to prevent long-term vision loss. Finally, stage 5 ROP involves a complete retinal detachment, at which point surgical intervention may not be able to prevent permanent vision loss or blindness. Our Connecticut ROP attorneys can help file a civil suit over a doctor’s failure to diagnose and treat this condition before it got bad enough to cause irreversible harm.
Because ROP does not produce obvious external symptoms until very serious damage has occurred, physicians are expected to be proactive about checking for this problem whenever a baby is born prematurely enough and at a low enough birth weight to be at risk of developing it. Accordingly, most malpractice claims built around this type of condition allege either a failure to diagnose or a failure to promptly treat ROP that constitutes a breach of the negligent doctor’s “standard of care.”
As our lawyers can explain in more detail, a breach of the standard of care for retinopathy of prematurity in Connecticut means that a defendant doctor failed to act as any other physician with equivalent skills and experience would have acted under the same working conditions. In order to successfully sue on these grounds. You must have formal support for your claim from at least one qualified medical expert who also believes legally actionable malpractice occurred, which our team can help you obtain during pre-litigation proceedings.
Premature babies are at risk of numerous health problems that most full-term babies are at little to no risk of experiencing. Retinopathy of prematurity is not the deadliest of those complications by any stretch, but it can certainly be one of the most life-altering ones if negligence by your child’s doctors leads to it getting much worse than necessary.
A Connecticut retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna, LLC can help you demand comprehensive civil recovery for the harm your child has suffered from medical malpractice in their first months of life. Call today for a consultation.
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