“Greg was very even-keeled, very positive at all times. He would often call just to check on me and see how I was doing. I really appreciated his professionalism and positive attitude.”
Kathee Johnson
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Kathee Johnson
Kathee Johnson’s contacts would start bothering her eyes early each morning toward the end of her night shift as a critical care nurse. About 4 a.m., her eyes became dry and scratchy. She began exploring LASIK surgery as a possible path to getting rid of the contacts forever. The surgeon she selected told her that she would be a good candidate for another kind of procedure called STAAR Visian ICL. In this surgery, she would have a new lens permanently implanted in each eye.
Doctor completes surgery in spite of noticing a problem.
On the day of the surgery, her surgeon first implanted the lens in Johnson’s right eye. He noticed a problem but didn’t bring Johnson out of anesthesia to consult with her, and he didn’t contact her husband in the waiting room. Instead, he went ahead and repeated the procedure for her left eye. The complication was now apparent in both eyes.
Basically, the implants didn’t fit. Pressure began building inside Johnson’s eyes and she had to be hospitalized. Unfortunately, the surgeon did not immediately remove the lenses, and the high intraocular pressures were slowly damaging her optic nerves. Six weeks following the original surgery, the doctor finally removed the implanted lens from each eye, but it was too late. Johnson’s vision was permanently damaged.
Fifteen months following her surgery, she went looking for an attorney. She soon was in touch with Portland attorneys Greg Zeuthen and Lawrence Baron.
“I was impressed with their knowledge of eye surgeries,” said Johnson. “Their knowledge put me at ease.”
She appreciated Zeuthen’s easy-going personality. “Greg was very even-keeled, very positive at all times,” she stated. “Greg would often call just to check on me and see how I was doing. I really appreciated his professionalism and positive attitude.”
Settlement negotiated.
Johnson also appreciated how quickly she could reach Zeuthen and Baron by email or telephone. She said she rarely waited more than a few hours for a return message or phone call. Zeuthen and Baron prepared Johnson’s case for trial but as the trial date approached, it became apparent the other side was interested in reaching a settlement. Because of her damaged eyesight, Johnson had to leave her job in nursing. Thankfully, the settlement amount negotiated by her attorneys will help make up for her lost income.
Today Johnson has what her doctors call tunnel vision. She says it’s like looking at the world through binoculars. She can see straight ahead, in a small area. Everything else is foggy. She has trouble seeing anything down and in front of her, and she has lost her peripheral vision. Because of these restrictions, she can’t drive and needs assistance walking anywhere outside her home. What little vision she has is gradually diminishing and one day she will be blind. However, she is thankful to her attorneys Zeuthen and Baron because, without their help, her situation would be much worse.