Woman Sues After Laser Eye Surgery

A 26-year-old woman is suing one of the pioneers of laser eye surgery in Quebec. Karine Cloutier has been legally blind since Dr. Michel Pop operated on her in 2001. The woman is seeking more than $2-million in damages.

On his website, Pop says he is one of the most experienced laser eye surgeons in Quebec. He opened his first private clinic in Gatineau in 1992. He's performed laser surgery on thousands of patients since then. Pop says Cloutier is the first patient to sue him. But he says he did nothing wrong.

"When I looked at the chart, then I was reassured. I knew I could not blame myself. There was no reproach," Pop says. "This patient had really received state of the art eye care."

But Cloutier, the former doctoral student, is almost totally blind today.

Her lawyer, Marc Boulanger, contends Cloutier was not a good candidate for the surgery. He says Pop should have told her that, and he never fully disclosed just what the risks were.

"It is not because you stick (a paper) under a patient's nose five minutes before surgery that the reality of the consent was obtained," Boulanger says.

Boulanger says Cloutier spent months depressed and in pain after the failed surgery and her life has been radically altered.

She's hoping her story will serve as a warning to people who've been led to believe optical laser surgery is almost risk-free.

Read more on " Woman Sues After Laser Eye Surgery"...