EXCLUSIVE: Class Action And Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Name TLC Laser Centers

Two multi-million dollar lawsuits, naming an upstate man, claim a national Lasik eye center chain has performed surgeries on bad candidates, and then tried to cover it up.  A major class action suit was filed earlier this year against TLC Laser Centers, and then a medical malpractice suit followed just this week in Greenville.  Ben Dickerson's name is at the top of that suit.  The successful businessman decided to have Lasik back in 1998.  "When I got my first surgery, they had people lined up like you were going through Mcdonald's getting a cheeseburger," says Dickerson.  "The whole room was just lined with people."

Within days, Dickerson says he noticed a difference.  "The next day, I was seeing 20/15, and I said, this is super!"  Then, things quickly went downhill.  "I can't see anything out of it now," Ben says.  He is now legally blind in his right eye.  His left eye is deteriorating quickly.  While he signed a waiver to have the surgery, Dickerson later found out he had a condition called keratoconus.  "They should have never touched my eyes," he says.  "They knew better."

Ben is now the first patient in the Upstate to file for medical malpractice against the TLC Piedmont Center in Greenville, and doctors there.  He joins a class action suit, naming at least 30 centers nationwide.  According to attorney Stephen Lewis, with Covington, Patrick, Stern, Hagins, and Lewis Law Firm, TLC operated on patients with pre-existing conditions, like Dickerson.  The suit alleges those conditions made them bad candidates for Lasik, but they were never told.  "The doctors knew there was a problem, they knew it was a red flag, they knew it was a contra-indication of surgery, but they chose to move forward anyway."

The fear is now that many more patients could be at risk for losing their vision, including more than 1,000 across the country, and potentially hundreds here in SC.  According to the lawsuit, TLC covered up each case, to avoid being sued.  "Time is of the essence, these people need to know they've been harmed, they need to know they've been harmed as a result of the surgery."

For Ben Dickerson, it is likely too late.  He's had a corneal transplant on his right eye, takes eye drops daily, and can only read with a magnifying glass.  But from his view, he believes his case might help others, even if he can't see it himself.  "I think they need to be punished for what they did."

Newschannel 7 attempted several times to get comment from TLC.  The company's local attorney in Greenville, Ron Tate, could not comment.  Jim Rogers, general counsel at the company's corporate office, said he had not seen the malpractice suit, and would comment quickly.  We will let you know when we receive a response.

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