Lasik Doctor Sued Nearly 50 Times In Illinois

After being hit with nearly 50 medical malpractice lawsuits claiming botched Lasik eye surgeries, the Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation banned Dr. Nicholas Caro from performing the corrective eye surgery in the state, the Chicago Tribune reports. Lasik changes the shape of the eye to improve the vision of nearsighted individuals, as explained by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Tribune reported on the flood of lawsuits against Dr. Caro in July. Nicholas Pucek's allegedly botched procedure by Dr. Caro left him with even worse vision than before the surgery, but he received a settlement in excess of $800,000 with the help of an Illinois injury attorney.

Mr. Pucek was reluctant to give too many details to reporters due to the terms of the settlement, but had this to say:

"Ten years later I still have headaches when I read and I'm not able to do some of the things I was able to do prior to the Lasik surgery."

The article states that Dr. Caro continued to practice Lasik surgery despite more than $1 million in damages from lawsuits, including settlements. Most of the complaints alleged abnormal symptoms such as persistent pain, eye infections and diminished vision. At least one plaintiff had to have his corneas removed.

Dr. Caro said he has performed more than 25,000 eye procedures in 25 years and simply told reporters that a lot of doctors get sued:

"I'm a high-volume surgeon and do a lot of surgeries, and they're cosmetic. You're going to get sued. Other doctors who do Lasik have the same problem."

State regulators were not convinced. In addition to the ban on performing Lasik and all procedures that alter the curvature of the cornea, Dr. Caro's medical license has been suspended for 30 days, he has been placed on probation for at least three years and fined $10,000.

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