Plaquenil Toxicity

When you suffer permanent vision loss due to Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) toxicity, your first priority is understandably your health, your independence, and your future. But if that vision loss was the result of a physician’s failure to follow well-established safety protocols, you may have the right to pursue compensation–and holding negligent providers accountable requires a different kind of specialist: a medical malpractice attorney.
These cases involve more than just medical records. They require a careful legal investigation into what your doctors did (or failed to do) over the course of months or even years of prescribing and monitoring.

Here’s how an experienced medical malpractice attorney can help.

Investigating a Plaquenil Eye Damage Claim

At the core of every medical malpractice case is the question of whether the physician breached the standard of care. That means the attorney must determine:

• What the provider should have done under established medical guidelines
• What the provider actually did (or didn’t do) in your case
• Whether your injuries could have been prevented with proper care

To establish this, your attorney will conduct a comprehensive investigation that typically includes:

1. Detailed Medical Chronology
The attorney or their legal nurse consultant will build a timeline of care, beginning with:

• The date Plaquenil was first prescribed
• The original dosage and whether it was weight-based
• When (or if) you received baseline and annual eye exams
• The content of screening reports (OCTs, visual field tests, etc.)
• When symptoms or test abnormalities were first documented
• When the drug was ultimately discontinued

This chronology will be compared against accepted guidelines (such as those published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the 2020 Joint Statement) to identify any departures from medical standards.

2. Consulting Independent Medical Experts
No malpractice case proceeds without a certified medical expert willing to testify that your doctor deviated from the standard of care.

Your attorney will retain:

• Ophthalmologists (especially retina specialists) to evaluate how early signs of damage may have been missed or ignored
• Rheumatologists or prescribing specialists to assess whether the dosage and duration were appropriate
• Pharmacology or toxicology experts, if needed, to address cumulative drug exposure or renal clearance

These experts will issue written reports or sworn testimony (as required in Maryland) to support the legal claim.

Medical Records and Documentation That Matter Most

Success in a Plaquenil eye damage case depends heavily on the strength and completeness of your medical documentation. Your attorney will help obtain and review:

1. Primary Care and Specialist Records

• All prescriptions and dosage changes over time
• Physician notes documenting diagnosis, symptoms, risk factors, or concerns
• Any documentation of shared decision-making or informed consent

2. Ophthalmology Records

• Baseline and follow-up retinal screening reports (or proof they were never ordered)
• OCT scans, visual field test results, fundus photographs, and mfERG reports
• Interpretation notes from eye care providers (including whether any abnormalities were flagged or ignored)

3. Pharmacy Dispensing Records

• Dates and dosages of Plaquenil refills
• Frequency of medication pick-up (useful in showing compliance or cumulative exposure)

4. Lab and Diagnostic Data

• Weight records (to determine whether the prescribed dose was appropriate based on actual body weight)
• Renal function tests (important because kidney impairment raises the risk of drug toxicity)

5. Patient Communication and Referrals

• Secure messages or MyChart communications (e.g., ignored complaints of vision changes)
• Missed or delayed referrals to ophthalmology
• Notes from optometrists, urgent care, or ER visits that document vision symptoms

An experienced attorney knows that gaps in these records – such as missing visual field tests or prolonged use at high doses – may be just as revealing as what’s actually written.

Building a Case That Holds Up in Court

Once your attorney gathers the relevant medical data and expert opinions, they will:

• Draft a certificate of merit (required in Maryland and most jurisdictions)
• Prepare a statement of claim outlining the negligent acts
• Calculate damages, including:
  • Permanent vision loss
  • Loss of earning capacity
  • Future care costs
  • Emotional distress
• Attempt to resolve the claim through settlement negotiation, or file a lawsuit if necessary

Throughout the process, the goal is to prove that had proper screening and monitoring been in place, your retinal damage could have been detected earlier – and your vision preserved.