Eye Injury & Vision Loss
Legal Help for Victims of Eye Injury and Vision Loss
Most people take their vision for granted. We don’t think about the gift of being able to see our loved ones, driving ourselves to work, or even just watching television. But an eye injury can result in partial vision loss or complete blindness in addition to a long, painful recovery, which will have a huge impact on your life. It will also affect your quality of life and render you unable to work if you can no longer perform the tasks needed for your job.
If someone has been negligent and caused you a serious eye injury, then you deserve compensation. Eye injuries are expensive, and not just because of medical bills. Without vision, you may need to switch careers, modify your home to be more handicap-friendly, and even work with an aide who can help you in your day-to-day life. You should not be left to shoulder this financial burden alone, especially if your accident was someone else’s fault. To begin your claims process, speak to one of the eye injury lawyers at The Husband & Wife Law Team. There may be compensation available for your injuries, and we can help you get it.
What Are Some Causes of Eye Injuries?
While some diseases can cause partial or total blindness, accidents are far more likely to blame for eye injuries and vision loss in the state of Arizona. Because your eyes are always exposed and one of the body’s most delicate organs, any trauma to the eye, or to the brain, can cause serious injury. Vision loss is very common following catastrophic accidents. In our experience as catastrophic injury attorneys, some of the most common accidents that lead to these injuries are:
If you have been involved in one of the above accidents, then you may be suffering from vision loss or damage to your eyes at this moment. While the bills may be steep, it is important to get immediate medical assistance if you have not already. Nothing is more important than your health, and eye injuries can lead to lasting consequences.
Examples of Common Eye Injuries
The human eye is made up of many different parts that all work together to allow us to see properly. When just one of these components is damaged, it can affect the entire eye. Even minor injuries, such as a scratch to the cornea, the transparent layer that is responsible for keeping debris out of the delicate tissues that make up the rest of the eye, can result in much more serious complications. For example, a damaged cornea can leave the entire eye susceptible to infection. There are a number of other ways that your vision could be impacted. Some of the most common are:
Penetrating injuries, which often happen during the course of a car accident, involve something actually entering and damaging the eye. These injuries can result in total blindness in at least the affected eye.
Chemical burns to the eye are possible at construction sites, workplaces, and even schools. These burns cause redness and burning in the eye, along with a great deal of pain. They can also permanently damage your vision, depending on the chemical and how long you were exposed before flushing out your eye.
Traumatic iritis, which is one of the most common injuries to the iris, is an inflammation caused by blunt trauma to the eye. Though the inflammation usually resolves itself in a few week, infection is a serious risk and can permanently damage your vision.
Swollen eyelids are a sign of eye damage after an accident. In these cases, the eyes have suffered blunt trauma, whether from violence or a car accident, and the eyelids have swollen so much that the eyes are practically shut. Swollen eyelids should heal on their own, but there is always the potential for infection or other serious conditions arising if the eye is not treated properly.
Not all eye injuries are immediately evident. In fact, one of the most common causes of vision loss doesn’t involve the eye at all, but rather the brain. In such a case, your eyes may be operating perfectly, but the damage done to your brain has left you with slight or complete vision loss.
Brain Injuries and Vision Loss
While direct injuries to your eye can lead to vision loss, you can still lose your vision even when your eyes are completely functional. Your eyes are only part of how you see. The eyes take in light through the pupil. This light is converted into information, which is sent through the optic nerve to the occipital lobe, which is located in the back of the brain. The brain takes this information and converts it into image, allowing you to see. The entire process takes milliseconds, which means you perceive no delay between what you are seeing and what is actually happening.
Due to its role in your ability to see, if the occipital lobe is damaged, then you could partially or fully lose your sight. On the other hand, if the optic nerve, which runs from your eyes to your brain, is damaged, that too could result in partial or full vision loss. If you experience a blow to the head, even if you do not notice any immediate symptoms of brain damage or vision loss, you should still seek a medical assessment. The damage can take time to cause blindness, and any treatment available will be time sensitive.
Claiming Compensation for an Eye Injury
Depending on the injury, eye injuries can be very costly to treat. You may have to wear an eye patch, take costly medication, have emergency surgery, and complete follow-up therapy. If you do not seek compensation, you may be left to pay for these expenses on your own. The best way to seek compensation? File a claim against the liable party.
Compensation may be available when someone else is to blame for your eye injury. Every person and company has a duty of care toward others, meaning they are responsible for taking reasonable steps to ensure the safety of others around them. When they fail to do so and you’re injured in a preventable accident, you can file a personal injury claim to recoup your costs.
If you suffered an eye injury after an accident that was someone else’s fault, call The Husband & Wife Law Team. An eye injury can have a serious impact on your life. While compensation may not be able to make your eye whole again, it can help with the financial burden of the injury, and we want to help you get it.