Those in Texas who have been diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may want to get a second opinion before seeking treatment. Many other retinal conditions can mimic AMD. Being treated for the incorrect condition may lead to a worsening of symptoms.
A presentation at the 2020 virtual OSN New York Retina meeting showed how different mimickers can lead to a wet AMD misdiagnosis. Five cases were presented in the meeting. Each case was of a patient who had been misdiagnosed with wet AMD and had originally received the incorrect treatment. The presenting researchers said that other conditions that often mimic wet AMD include:
- Best disease
- basal laminar drusen
- chronic central serous chorioretinopathy
- polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
- vitelliform lesion
To avoid misdiagnosing a patient and potentially being accused of medical malpractice, experts recommend conducting several tests. If the test results don’t fit in with the suspected diagnosis, ophthalmologists need to look at the possibility of other conditions before treating for wet AMD. Wet AMD is a chronic eye condition that is caused when abnormal blood vessels leak blood or fluid into the macula. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in individuals over the age of 50.
When a doctor misdiagnoses patients with wet AMD, they may not receive the correct diagnosis for a long time. Unfortunately, without prompt treatment, permanent blindness or severely blurred vision could result. A doctor who hurriedly diagnosed the patient may have acted negligently and could have committed a medical mistake. A lawyer might be able to help a patient who suffered from a misdiagnosis file a medical malpractice suit against the medical practitioner seeking applicable compensatory damages.
