A South Florida woman who was left disfigured and nearly blind by a surgeon says she has now discovered that the doctor did not have insurance.
7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Dian, 70, does not want us to use her last name.
She is embarrassed by the large spot above her eye and doesn’t want to be seen in public.
Dian/Plastic Surgery Patient: “Right now I spend a lot of time watching TV, whereas before I used to go out and dance, go to the gym, do all kinds of things. That is no longer the case.”
Dian said she had to wear a patch because the pain was constant.
Dian: “I can’t stand air conditioning, fans, or cooking when the oven door is open.”
Her eyes were damaged during plastic surgery.
I had a partial facelift in February. She says she knew something was very wrong the moment she woke up from surgery.
Dian: “I was screaming because it was pitch black. I couldn’t see even the slightest bit of light. Nothing. Total black.”
The photo is disturbing.
According to Dian, the surgery left her unable to close her eyes completely, and even after six months, her eyesight, especially in her right eye, has not fully recovered.
Dian: “My eyes are asymmetrical right now. I can’t see. I can’t see.”
She immediately called her surgeon and went to see him at his clinic in Davie.
But she says she couldn’t go anywhere.
Deanne: “He left me in the waiting room for three or four hours, and the receptionist came in and gave me a bottle of saline and a gauze sponge.”
Next, she went to the eye doctor and heard more bad news.
Dian: “My cornea is dry because my eyes aren’t closing, and now it’s so dry that I’ve developed this giant ulcerated cornea, which is why I can’t see.” I don’t know if I need stitches or not. ”
7News reached out to Dian’s surgeon.
He texted, “I did not perform surgery on her eyelids…”
He also said he “asked her to come back for a follow-up” and offered to “follow up now for a post-op evaluation.”
Dian considered suing, but discovered that the surgeon did not carry malpractice insurance.
Dian: “I’m confused at this point.”
Attorney William Robinson said doctors who don’t practice in a hospital are not required to carry malpractice insurance.
William Robinson: “They’re supposed to put up signs on their doors and offices letting potential patients know that they don’t have insurance and that they’re financially responsible.”
You can also check whether a doctor has malpractice insurance on their profile on the Florida Department of Public Health website.
Dian could sue the surgeon personally, but for now she wants to focus on her health.
Dian: “I know that if I have to go to an oculoplastic surgeon, it will cost upwards of $30,000.”
Dian’s plastic surgery was supposed to make her feel better about herself. Instead, she is physically, emotionally, and financially traumatized.
Heather Walker, 7News.
Contact 7 investigates:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
[email protected]
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