There is a legal forum for the people who bring a case against another in a court of law (plaintiffs) to pursue a legal remedy. As per the past records, most common complaints by the plaintiffs are related to the service provider or institution who fail to live up to the standard of care. This is where the Ophthalmology expert witness plays a critical role in determining the prevailing medical standards in given circumstances.
The practice of vision and eye related medicines, diagnosis, treatment, and surgical procedures are termed as Ophthalmology. The ophthalmologist needs a strong background in education and training, state licensed and certified.
General ophthalmologists monitor medical conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic eye diseases. Complex surgeries like retinal, corneal and glaucoma are handled by Sub-specialists as they perform higher-risk types of surgery.
The complex surgery situations are often difficult for anyone but an ophthalmologist to decipher and understand. A professional and experienced general ophthalmologist has a unique understanding of what can possibly go awry in medical and surgical situations. The opinion of an expert is invaluable to attorneys who might be trying to identify whether actual breach in standard of care is present.
There are various processes in which the medical expert witness is required. The foremost and important process is where the expert interprets and analyzes complex clinical scenarios. Based on the scenarios, the expert determines the appropriate standard of care. While determining appropriate standards, the expert has to identify if the care given represents a breach from the applicable standard of care. So that the patient who has experienced the injury due to breach of care gets necessary assessment of the injury. The expert witness has all the skills to explain the counsel about the particulars of any given case. Being an integral member of the legal team, the expert on opening of the case will provide a deposition on which the opposing counsel often challenges the expert on their credentials, their process of evaluating the case, and the resultant conclusions reached. Therefore, it is important to hire an expert witness who is thoroughly knowledgeable about the facts of the case, as well as the relevant care standards.
In summary, the role of an expert is to shed light on complex medical cases and educate others involved about the critical issues at hand. Without the information the expert witness provides, the non-medical participants in the legal process are essentially shooting in the dark. It is their responsibility to adjudicate the case fairly and justly, and you are critical to their ability to do so. Determining the outcome of the case is their responsibility, informing them is yours.