Lawsuit against Assuta-Ashdod: Went for an eye exam - and found a broken eyeglass

Three unnecessary surgeries in a week - this is the path of agony that a 65-year-old Ashdod resident who suffered from glaucoma had to go through.

At least that is what is claimed in the lawsuit that the woman recently filed, through attorney Moran Avrahami Yom Tov, against Assuta Hospital in Ashdod.

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According to the lawsuit, the surgeries not only failed to improve the woman's condition, but actually worsened it.

The lawsuit claims that due to a diagnosis of glaucoma - intraocular pressure - in the right eye, the woman was referred by the ophthalmologist at the health insurance company to Assuta Hospital in Ashdod.

According to Attorney Avrahami Yom Tov, the standard and required treatment for glaucoma is laser treatment, but due to a malfunction in the device, the treatment was not performed.

Instead, it was claimed, it was decided to perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant on the woman. It was also claimed that after the woman's condition did not improve and even worsened, another surgery was performed on her three days later.

According to the lawsuit, the anesthesia procedure in the second surgery was so poor that the woman heard everything that was happening in the operating room, felt the operations being performed on her eye, groaned in pain, cried and screamed.

"She heard one of the doctors comment to his colleague that the tube was crooked, and she replied that she couldn't get it out," claims Attorney Avrahami Yom Tov. "Another doctor heard what was happening, entered the operating room and began arguing with the doctor about the surgical procedure. All this while the plaintiff was fully conscious."

According to Attorney Avrahami Yom Tov, after this surgery was also unsuccessful, it was decided to perform another surgery on the woman, a third in number, which also failed.

When the woman's condition continued to deteriorate, she was referred at her own request to Ichilov Hospital, where she was hospitalized and operated on.

According to the lawsuit, when the diagnosis was confirmed that she was suffering from central retinal vein occlusion, she underwent additional surgery. "Today, the plaintiff suffers from significant vision loss in her right eye with damage to her left eye, in a way that affects her physical and mental functioning," claims Attorney Avrahami Yom Tov.

Attached to the lawsuit was the opinion of Prof. Shlomo Melamed, founder and former director of the Rothberg Glaucoma Center at Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital.

Prof. Melamed determined that the treatment for glaucoma in the right eye, performed by the doctors at Assuta Hospital, was incorrect and full of critical errors.

In addition, he determined that instead of laser treatment, which would have been sufficient in this case, the woman was subjected to unnecessary and inappropriate surgeries, which only worsened her condition. The expert assessed the woman's disability at 35 percent permanently.

In another opinion attached to the lawsuit, by Dr. Tanya Ebert, a psychiatric expert, it was determined that due to the severe damage to her vision, the plaintiff went from being an independent woman, earning her own living, to a broken vessel, dependent on her family.

According to Dr. Ebert, the woman has stopped driving and working, cannot leave the house alone, has difficulty moving around independently, and has already fallen on the street several times, unable to perform routine daily activities, read or watch television.

"Due to her physical condition, the plaintiff developed an unusual emotional reaction with expressions of depression and anxiety," Dr. Ebert determined. "She became sad and depressed, lacking joy in life, pleasure and energy, anxious and lacking self-confidence."

The specialist determined that the woman had a 25 percent psychiatric disability and recommended medication with anti-anxiety and anti-depressants and psychiatric monitoring.

According to the lawsuit, the incorrect treatments performed on the woman at Assuta Hospital caused her great suffering, irreversible damage, and loss of the pleasures of life. "The actions taken by the medical team indicated a complete lack of understanding of the plaintiff's clinical condition and constitute a significant deviation from accepted medical practice," claims Attorney Avrahami Yom Tov.

In the lawsuit filed by the woman, through attorney Avrahami Yom Tov, against Assuta Hospital in Ashdod, she asks the court to order Assuta Ashdod, and the company that insures her, to compensate the plaintiff in the maximum amount within the court's authority - 2.5 million shekels.

The lawsuit is currently being heard in the Bat Yam Magistrate's Court.

Assuta Hospital Ashdod's response: "The lawsuit in question has not yet been received. Upon receipt, we will respond in court, as is customary."