Noteboom The Law Firm

Veterans’ Suffered Vision Loss Due to VA Negligence

May 13, 2010 - David Woodward, an 87-year-old veteran, is suing the U.S. Government in federal court. Woodward's allegations center on the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital failing to treat his glaucoma for more than 4 years. Resultantly, Woodward went blind.

There were 8 patients being treated for glaucoma at the Palo Alto Health Care System. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notified those 8 patients they received improper care, which probably ended up causing their vision loss. A 3-month investigation reviewed 381 patient charts. Of those, 23 glaucoma patients suffered "progressive visual loss" while under the care of the VA's hospital's optometry department.

The optometry staff failed to obey the hospital's policy requiring referrals of glaucoma patients to physicians. Woodward's glaucoma was suspected of existing during one of his first visits to the clinic. Despite his subsequent visits to the same clinic over the next 4 years, his glaucoma was never treated. Woodward now suffers from 90% loss of vision and progressive damage to his optic nerve.

Woodward alleges that had the VA clinic held the optometry department to the standards to which they should have been held, and therefore treated Woodward for his glaucoma, he would not be as bad off as he is today. While glaucoma is not curable, it is treatable, to an extent. Woodward feels the negligence of the optometry staff forced Woodward to require surgery in both of his eyes.

It is very possible to receive ongoing, state-of-the-art treatment and still suffer the same symptoms Woodward suffered. That fact, however, is not the issue in this case. Given Woodward's age and now being legally blind, if the optometry department's negligence did result in Woodward's suffering, they should be held responsible.