Emergencies

Regardless of how punctilious one is in the practice of medicine, there is no infallible protection against malpractice litigation. Attention to certain details, however, minimizes the risk. When reviewing potential medical malpractice cases, the omission of seemingly obvious examinations or precautions for whatever reason is often incomprehensible and an inchoation of disaster.

The spectrum of diseases eliciting urgent consultation by a patient, from trivial to severe, may encompass nearly every ophthalmologic condition as well as many systemic diseases having ophthalmologic symptoms or manifestations. Not all ocular diseases threaten significant morbidity or blindness, and most ophthalmologic diseases are not emergencies. This chapter concerns problems that commonly prompt patients to seek immediate attention and that, if neglected, may cause preventable impairment or serious or irreversible loss of vision. The subjects outlined are areas of vulnerability repeatedly explored by attorneys.