Neurological Visual Impairment

Expectant parents often look forward to showing their children the world and watching them experience things for the first time. Tragically, many parents are robbed of that opportunity because their children suffer from vision loss caused by brain damage or neurological vision impairment. Neurological vision impairment is often caused by errors during labor and delivery, and health care professionals that make such mistakes should be held accountable. If your child suffers from loss of vision caused by a birth injury, it is critical to meet with an attorney to assess your potential claims. The skillful Baltimore birth injury attorneys of Arfaa Law Group can assess the circumstances surrounding your child's harm and advise you of your options for seeking the maximum amount of compensation recoverable under the law.

Neurological vision impairment is the term used to describe vision loss and difficulties with visual perception and coordination of the eyes that is caused by injury to the areas of the brain responsible for sight rather than injury to the structure of the eyes. The nature and extent of vision loss suffered depends on what part of the brain was impacted and to what degree. Neurological vision impairment can be caused by infections that attack the central nervous system, such as encephalitis or meningitis, strokes that involve the occipital lobe, hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen in the blood cells, and asphyxia, all of which can occur due to errors made during the birthing process. Neurological vision impairment may also arise due to hydrocephalus and brain injuries. In many instances, the factors or conditions that lead to neurological vision impairment can be prevented with adequate medical care.

Doctors that engage in behavior that leads to birth injuries that result in harm such as neurological vision impairment may be found liable for medical malpractice. In the majority of medical malpractice cases, the plaintiff will set forth a negligence claim against the defendant. In Maryland, negligence is made up of four elements: duty, breach, damages, and causation.

In a birth injury case, duty refers to the obligation imposed on the defendant to abide by the prevailing standard of care, which is the treatment that a competent professional working in the same practice area as the defendant would provide when presented with a similar set of facts. A breach is an act or omission that demonstrates a departure from the standard of care. Causation links the damages to the breach. In other words, the plaintiff has to prove that the defendant's deviation from the applicable standard of care proximately caused the plaintiff to suffer measurable harm. Generally, a plaintiff will need to hire one or more medical experts to testify regarding the standard of care, explain why the defendant's behavior is considered a breach of the standard, and to connect the breach to the injuries sustained.

A plaintiff that successfully demonstrates a defendant's liability in a birth injury case may be awarded damages for the harm suffered by the parents, such as emotional distress, as well as the losses sustained by the child, like pain and suffering, wage loss, medical expenses, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Children suffering from neurological vision impairment due to birth injuries can often recover substantial compensation from the healthcare providers responsible for their impairments. If your child suffers from vision loss due to medical mistakes made before or during his or her birth, you should discuss your case with an attorney as soon as possible. The Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group are proficient at aiding people who suffered devastating injuries due to medical negligence in the pursuit of seek justice for their losses, and if we represent you, we will advocate aggressively on your behalf. We have an office in Baltimore, where we routinely represent parties in cases arising out of birth injuries. You can contact us through our form online or by calling us at (410) 889-1850 to set up a meeting.