Notorious Chicago Eye Doctor With Probationary License in Trouble Again

February 01, 2013 (Press-News.org) Chicago ophthalmologist Dr. Nicholas Caro is the subject of news stories again, this time because of trouble with the U.S. Department of Labor and a federal grand jury for allegedly raiding his employee's pension fund to the tune of around $260,000.

Unprofessional conduct

Many Chicago-area eye patients are all too familiar with Dr.Caro's questionable and harmful past medical practices. In 2010, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the state agency responsible for professional licensing, including the prosecution of doctors who engage in negligent or dangerous practices, found Caro had engaged in "unprofessional conduct" and "gross negligence."

The agency put him on a minimum of three years of probation, fined him $10,000, suspended his license for 30 days, and prohibited him from ever again doing LASIK and other refractive cornea surgeries within Illinois. As part of his probation, he must have another doctor, agency approved, administer Caro's practice.

Cornea surgery

Caro commonly performed LASIK surgery, a common, elective procedure, involves cutting and peeling back the outer layer of the cornea so that the inner eye can be shaped with a laser, often greatly improving deficient vision.

Caro said that he has done about 25,000 eye surgeries, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Medical malpractice

The Chicago Tribune has done feature stories on Caro that describe his history of questionable practices. In 2009, the newspaper reported that Caro had been the defendant in almost 50 lawsuits in Cook County for medical malpractice and that at least two of the plaintiffs have been awarded "hundreds of thousands" of dollars by juries.

Caro's practice was also visited by federal consumer safety regulators, who confiscated potentially dangerous laser equipment that had not been given required governmental approval, according to the Tribune. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had issued warnings about the equipment previously.

In Illinois, the law provides that a patient harmed by his or her physician's medical malpractice may sue for past or future damages, including the cost of medical treatment, care, lost wages, lost body function, future pain and suffering, future physical impairment and "inconvenience." Such monetary benefits go to qualified survivors if the patient dies because of the malpractice.

A successful plaintiff in Illinois for medical malpractice must prove by expert testimony what the proper standard of care is for the particular treatment received; that that standard was negligently breached; and that the professional negligence caused the injury or death being alleged.

In Caro's case, former patients allege that he provided inadequate surgical follow-up care and that he performed botched surgeries, sometimes with permanent negative consequences. Corrective surgeries were sometimes needed. Ongoing problems reported after Caro's surgical work include pain, vision problems, headaches and infection.

If you or a loved one is harmed by treatment by an eye doctor or any other type of medical practitioner who may have violated professional standards of care, seek the advice of an experienced Illinois medical malpractice attorney to learn about potential legal remedies to compensate for the damage and suffering.

Article provided by Lloyd Law Group
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