In a compelling legal battle, a plaintiff is seeking justice for what he claims was a severe medical oversight that has left him with lasting damage. Alan Bickel filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on April 9, 2025, against Dr. Brian Herst, Eye Physicians & Surgeons of Chicago, S.C., and Amita Health St. Joseph's Hospital.
The case revolves around a cataract extraction surgery performed on April 17, 2023. According to the complaint, Dr. Brian Herst conducted the procedure at St. Joseph’s Hospital using Phacoemulsification technique which lasted over an hour. The following day, Bickel reported severe pain and difficulty keeping his eye open to Dr. Herst, who advised continuing with prescribed medications and scheduled another check-up two days later. On April 20, Bickel returned with worsened symptoms including swelling and discharge from the eye. A retinal specialist diagnosed him with endophthalmitis after finding staph infection through biopsy results.
Bickel alleges negligence on multiple fronts: failure to perform adequate post-operative examinations, failure to diagnose and treat emergent conditions promptly, lack of immediate referral to specialists for critical evaluation and treatment of endophthalmitis, and inadequate sterilization during surgery. These failures have reportedly resulted in significant personal injuries for Bickel including deformation of the eye and severely compromised vision.
Bickel seeks compensation exceeding $100,000 from each defendant—Amita Health St. Joseph's Hospital for their role in providing medical facilities and staff; Dr. Brian Herst for direct negligence in care; and Eye Physicians & Surgeons of Chicago for failing to ensure proper medical standards were met by their employed doctor.
Representing Alan Bickel is Proctor Law Group P.C., led by Edward G. Proctor Jr., while details about defense attorneys remain undisclosed at this time. The case is identified under Case No.: 2025L004819.