Informed consent
Has anyone been successful in pursuing "lack of informed consent"?!
Having undergone the process of refractive lens exchange I have to say that I feel I was not properly informed.
In my opinion now with the benefit of hindsight, the practice of utilising a combined consent form for cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange may be convenient, but it makes for a longer document which takes longer to navigate and I strongly feel that there are extra risk factors in the younger patient that must be emphasised for consent to be truly informed.
I was not given the consent form until I saw the surgeon at the consent appointment. Nor was I given a copy to take away with me. Of course, it was for me to request this, and I will forever regret that I did not.
Verbal information" was noted to be lacking by Which in their recent report. I feel that I should have had it stressed to me by my surgeon, verbally, at my consent appointment, that it was likely that I, a younger patient without cataract would need yag very early on. He told me " you might need yag laser"! I stupidly did not ask,assuming this would be years down the line, like my relatives who had had cataract surgery. This risk factor was not mentioned to me verbally or on the consent form. Not was it verbally mentioned to me that yag laser could alter the position of the intraocular lens thus changing your vision. Not were vitreous floaters following yag laser mentioned to me or on the consent form. How can this be "informed consent". My surgeon failed to mention to me at the consent appointment that the " laser tweak" that might be needed, 10% chance, would be lasek, not LASIK! which would be painful and could take many weeks or even months to achieve its effect. Of course, it was for me to ask?
My expert witness, was not willing to discuss the issue of a consent form presented "on the day" as he had been given his consent form on the day when he had his cataract surgery carried out!: