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TLC LASIK Faces $180 Million Malpractice Class Action

Greenville, SC: A $180 million class action lawsuit has been filed against the national chain of Lasik eye surgery centers, TLC Lasik, alleging that eye surgeries were performed on patients who didn't qualify for surgery. A second class of the lawsuit alleges that TLC reneged on its Lifetime Commitment Contract.

There is a subset of patients who, due to the topography of their eyes, are not suited to Lasik surgery as it can leave them vulnerable to a number of chronic, debilitating conditions including ectasia, which is corneal instability.

The suit reportedly alleges that TLC created two sets of files, one patients could see, and another that was only for management use. The centers would tell patients that their ocular health was fine while on the secure management file it would be noted that the patient had ectasia, and therefore weren't candidates for Lasik surgery. As many as 1600 patients had confidential records they were not aware of, reports indicate.

The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants told patients that future procedures would improve their vision, even though TLC knew that was unlikely.

With respect to the reneging on the Lifetime Commitment Contract, the suit alleges that patients would sign-up for the contract which was supposed to provide lifetime care for any post-surgical problems, only to discover that TLC would terminate the contract after the statute of limitations for medical malpractice had expired.

One plaintiff in the case, Mr. George Carter, underwent Lasik surgery at TLC's center in Greenville, SC, in 1998 and signed up for the Lifetime Commitment Contract. When the vision in his left eye began to deteriorate, he was told that future treatments would help. However, he received no treatment and was continually told over several years that when a different type of laser becomes available they could help him. He finally went to see another ophthalmologist, who told him that his problems were likely caused by the Lasik surgery. He subsequently had to undergo a corneal transplant.

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Last updated on Mar-22-10