Medical malpractice cases are among the most complicated cases to pursue, so you will need a lawyer. Check your Yellow Pages for attorneys, and perform a web search. Type “lawyer,” “medical malpractice,” and your city into your favorite search engine.  Your attorney must be experienced in medical malpractice cases. The insurance company that defends the doctor against your lawsuit will not take an inexperienced attorney seriously during settlement discussions. Consequently, you could get a lower settlement. An experienced medical malpractice attorney also will be able to find an effective expert witness, which is critical in these types of cases. Often, doctors do not want to testify against doctors, so it is important that your attorney have a network of physicians who are willing to testify. Some states certify specialists in medical malpractice. California, for example, will award certification if an attorney has passed certain exams and has been practicing for a sufficient amount of time.  You can check for specialists by visiting your state bar association. Be advised that not all certified specialists represent plaintiffs. Some will only defend doctors and hospitals. Visit your state’s disciplinary board to see if the attorney has been sanctioned in the past. Attorneys are sanctioned for ethics violations, such as disclosing client confidences or failing to respond to client emails. They are not sanctioned for failing to win cases, unless their performance was so low as to be negligent. Look for attorneys who specifically mention having represented plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits. They should have represented a plaintiff recently. Also look to see how professional the website is. An attorney whose website is replete with grammatical errors may be careless in his representation of you. Many lawyers provide free consultations. Call the office. An in-take specialist will ask questions to see if you meet certain criteria.  For example, some medical malpractice attorneys may only focus on certain aspects of medicine, such as obstetrics or children’s health care. The in-take specialist will let you know if the attorney handles lawsuits for the kinds of injury you suffered. When you meet with an attorney, she will probably want to see your medical records, as well as gain some idea of the extent of your injury. You should already have gathered this information before meeting with her. Be skeptical of promised results. An attorney cannot promise a result, nor can he guarantee a certain amount of money. However, he can tell you what typically happens with cases like yours, based on his experience. Medical malpractice cases are expensive to bring. However, most lawyers will work on a contingency fee basis. Under this arrangement, the attorney gets paid only if you get compensated, either at trial or through settlement negotiations.  Even if the lawyer works contingency, you will probably have to cover court costs. These costs include fees for filing documents, serving documents on the defendant, paying a court reporter, and hiring expert witnesses. Try to get an estimate of these costs at the outset. Contingency fee arrangements vary, but between 30-40% is common. An attorney should give you a good idea if the claim is even worth pursuing. Even if a doctor has made a mistake, a lawsuit may not be worth pursuing. When deciding whether to bring suit, lawyers look at the following:  Permanent injury. A permanent injury is more impressive to a jury than a temporary injury.  The amount of damage. Because litigation is so expensive, attorneys will want a suit to be worth well over $150,000 in damages.  Clear causation. If the medical treatment aggravated a prior injury, your claim could be worth less because the jury may decide that the prior injury is to blame for your pain and suffering. How sympathetic the plaintiff is. If the plaintiff has a criminal record, then the amount of damages awarded could be lower.

Summary: Make a list. Identify medical malpractice specialists. Search for disciplinary sanctions. Study the lawyer’s website. Meet for a consultation. Discuss fee arrangements. Analyze the case with the lawyer.


For this peripheral vision test, your eye doctor will sit right across from you and ask you to cover one eye. You'll be asked to stare straight ahead while they slowly bring one of their hands from one side into your peripheral vision. Say “OK” or “I see it” when you detect their hand moving.  This is a standard test during most eye exams. You may be asked to repeat the test several times with each eye. Make sure you keep staring straight ahead. You're only cheating yourself if you try peeking to the side a little in order to catch an earlier glimpse of their hand. If your eye doctor wants to further test your peripheral vision, they may ask you to place your chin on a chin-rest and stare straight into a cone- or dome-shaped contraption. There will be an object or marking in the center of the cone/dome for you to stare at. The machine will create flashes of light that you should be able to glimpse in your peripheral vision, and there will be a button for you to press every time you do see one of them. Only press the button when you detect a flash of light. Pretending to see things that you don't probably won't help you “do better” on the test, and may just mask vision issues that need to be addressed. This test may be used if your eye doctor wants a more detailed analysis of your peripheral vision. You'll sit about 1 metre (3.3 ft) from a screen with a target in the center of it. You'll stare straight at the target and verbally tell your doctor every time you detect movement elsewhere on the screen. In the process, the machine that conducts the test will create a map of your peripheral vision. This will allow your doctor to identify any weak spots, gaps, or areas of concern. In most cases, problems with peripheral vision are caused by underlying conditions such as glaucoma. If you are diagnosed with glaucoma, you'll probably be treated with prescription eye drops and possibly laser surgery.  In some cases, wearing eyeglasses with prism lenses can slightly improve peripheral vision. Especially if your peripheral vision has been affected by an injury, undergoing regular eye exercises with a physical therapist may help as well.

Summary: Start with a simple Confrontational Visual Field Exam. Participate in an Automated Perimetry Exam. Map your peripheral vision with a Target Screen Exam. Discuss your results and any recommended treatments.


One sign that a guy may like you is if he reacts to your posts on social media. He might do more than just "like" your updates. For example, he might comment on your posts or reply to things you upload, or he even may send you direct messages on social platforms.  Look to see if he comments on other people’s posts as well. If he comments frequently, this may just reveal that he is an avid social media user. However, if he rarely “likes” or comments on other posts, this is a sign that he might have feelings for you. After he publicly comments on one of your photos or posts, respond to him. If he is eager to start up a conversation with you this way, it may reveal that he likes you or at the very least enjoys messaging with you.  For example, he may say "That is a great photo! Where are you?" You could respond by saying "I was in Vancouver last week. Such a beautiful city! Have you been?" If a guy you just met starts "liking" or commenting on old photos of you, this is a sign that he is interested. It means that he has spent time looking back through your old photos probably because he wants to know you better or he just enjoys looking at pictures of you! When a guy likes you, he will want to connect with you and follow you on a variety of different social media platforms. For example, he may add you to Facebook and Snapchat, and start following you on Twitter and Instagram. Adding you to a number of social media sites is likely a sign that he wants to look through your posts, photos, and selfies in an attempt to get to know you better.
Summary: See if he interacts with your posts. Reply to his comments. Notice if he comments on old pictures or posts. Check to see if he has added you on multiple social media platforms.