Conséquences médicolégales des endophtalmies

Endophthalmitis is one of the leading sources of dispute in ophthalmology. The patient has a number of means to make an appeal. Fortunately, appeal to the criminal justice system is rare in medicine, but always possible (e.g., indictment for endangering the life of others or for involuntary injury). Civil action is more frequent, allowing the patient to recover damages in case of negligence on the part of the surgeon. Finally, the law of March 4th 2002 allows the CRCI to award an indemnity to patients if the surgeon is not at fault, but in certain conditions only. The knowledge of the surgeon's obligations and the means of appeal available to the patient is very useful for the ophthalmologist.