A patient who lost vision after a laser eye procedure approached the consumer forum alleging that the treatment itself had been wrongly advised and negligently performed. The legal battle eventually turned on a recurring medico-legal distinction: complication versus negligence.
The patient had undergone an earlier cataract surgery and later developed blurred vision in the same eye. He was advised YAG laser treatment. Soon after the procedure, retinal detachment occurred, ultimately resulting in severe visual loss.
The complainant argued that the doctor should never have chosen YAG laser in his case and claimed that the procedure directly caused blindness.
But the medical background complicated the allegation.
The patient had longstanding high myopia since childhood, a condition medically associated with increased risk of retinal detachment. Independent medical opinion obtained during proceedings confirmed that such complications are known to occur more frequently in highly myopic eyes, especially where prior ocular surgeries have already taken place.
The Commission noted that while the outcome was unfortunate, no material had been produced to establish that the procedure itself was improperly performed or medically contraindicated.
Equally significant was the absence of supporting medical literature from the complainant’s side to substantiate the claim that an entirely different procedure should have been adopted.
Dismissing the complaint, the Commission reiterated that medicine cannot be judged solely through hindsight. A recognised complication, even a severe one, does not automatically establish negligence unless breach of accepted medical standards is proved through cogent evidence.
The ruling reinforces a core medico-legal principle in ophthalmic litigation and beyond: bad outcomes may raise suspicion, but liability still depends on proving that the doctor crossed the line from accepted risk into avoidable error.
Source: Order pronounced by Madhya Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on 4th February, 2026.
