São Paulo court orders state to pay damages after cataract surgery complication

The Court of Justice of São Paulo (TJ-SP) has ordered the State of São Paulo to pay R$ 108,200 in moral and aesthetic damages to a woman who lost her left eye following cataract surgery.

The patient developed pain and swelling one day after the procedure, followed by a diagnosis of infection two days later. Despite hospitalization, the condition progressed to the loss of the eye. The court's decision, upheld by the 5th Chamber of Public Law, also mandates that the State provide a procedure for the implantation of a prosthesis.

During the ruling, Judge Eduardo Prataviera noted deficiencies in the medical documentation provided by the State, specifically the absence of a surgical report. The court determined it was unreasonable to require the patient to prove events occurring within the operating room that should have been recorded in official medical files.