Compassion Representation for Victims with Partial or Total Blindness

After an accident, we expect to contend with sore muscles, broken bones, and serious cuts, but vision loss is something we cannot predict. Instinctively, we know to protect our heads and close our eyes in response to oncoming trauma, although we cannot always control the resulting damage. Fractures in the skull can damage nerve endings, while lacerations can cut into our eyes, resulting in partial or total vision loss.

Moving on with impaired vision can be extremely difficult, even if the damage is minor. You may experience a decreased quality of life, have to use corrective lenses, or go through expensive surgeries to repair the damage. If your injury is extensive, you may lose your eyesight, which can impact every aspect of your life, from your hobbies to your career. No one deserves to go through such a traumatic experience while also dealing with financial burdens. If your injuries were caused by a negligent individual, you may be eligible for compensation and should contact a Boulder personal injury attorney at the Tenge Law Firm, LLC. Call us at (303) 665-2929 to learn if and how you can pursue a personal injury claim.

Vision Loss and Trauma

Our bodies are naturally designed to protect our eyes in the event of an accident, which is why it can be so shocking and devastating when we suffer vision damage. This can occur in any number of ways and include a range of symptoms. For some, the change can be minor, whereas others may suffer irreparable blindness.

The varying degrees of eye damage you may suffer includes:

  • Detached retinas
  • Hemorrhaging, or bleeding, within the eye and lens
  • Orbital hematoma, or bleeding into the eye socket
  • Lacerations across the eye
  • Globe ruptures
  • Ocular foreign bodies, such as glass, metal, plastic, and wood
  • Endophthalmitis, or infections and inflammations in the eye
  • Damage to the optic nerve
  • Detachment from the socket
  • Burns or scarring along the eye
  • Irreparable crush injuries

If the damage is severe and extensive, you may suffer impaired vision or total blindness. Impaired vision can include double vision, decrease peripheral vision, shifting focus, sensitivity to light, nausea, or headaches. To identify eye damage, it is important to get checked out by a physician after a serious trauma to the head, even if your eyes weren’t damaged. Traumatic brain injuries can also cause vision loss and any symptoms should be reported to your doctor. A vision test may also be required to access the damage, especially if you experience long-term symptoms.

How the Eyes Become Damaged

In order for our eyes to absorb light and convert it into information for our brain to process, they are extra sensitive to outside stimuli. This means they are generally left exposed while we are awake and require constant protection from outside trauma. While long-term exposure to harmful blue lights given off by cell phones, computer screens, and TVs can cause a steady decline in vision, external trauma is also a major factor.

Accidents that can cause partial or total vision loss include:

Living with an eye injury can be difficult to bear, especially if a negligent individual caused the accident. Ultimately, if they had not been careless or reckless, you would not have suffered a catastrophic injury. As a result of this negligence, you may be eligible for a personal injury claim against the at-fault individual’s insurance policy.

Filing a Claim for Eye Damage

The costs of an eye injury are extensive, especially if it leads to an irreversible disability. Even when doctors can repair the damage and correct your vision, you may still be burdened with costly medical bills. However, you may be able to file a claim for damages that not only take into account your financial costs but also your emotional costs.

Personal injury claims can recover compensation for two types of damages: economic and non-economic. Economic damages will cover any financial cost a victim incurred because of a negligent individual’s actions, whereas non-economic cover the personal costs you have suffered. In vision loss cases, this can include the pain and suffering from the initial injury or accident, long-term disability, and loss of enjoyment.

When preparing your claim, your attorney will review your finances to determine what you can seek compensation for, which can include:

  • Past, present, and future medical bills
  • Long-term care, including corrective surgeries and treatment for vision damage
  • Lost wages if you were out of work or had to change careers
  • Assistance with your day-to-day life, including canes, seeing eye-dogs, and braille lessons
  • Prosthetic eyes
  • Loss of enjoyment
  • Pain and suffering
  • Disabilities

Recovering these damages and getting you the right care after a traumatic injury should be the top priority of your attorney. You will probably be dealing with a lot of physical and emotional trauma after a serious eye injury and cannot be expected to file a claim on your own. Instead, contact a skilled attorney who can shoulder the legal burdens while you focus on getting treatment.

Get the Legal Advice You Need and Deserve

The loss of one’s eyesight can be a terrifying ordeal, even if it is temporary. You or someone you love is likely dealing with a large amount of stress and are worried about how to move forward. If someone else’s reckless actions contributed to your injury, such as in a car accident or through a defective product, you deserve proper compensation.

To get the compensation you deserve, contact a Boulder vision loss lawyer at the Tenge Law Firm, LLC. Our legal team has advocated for numerous individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries and can assess whether you are eligible for a claim. Call us at (303) 665-2929 to speak to a law firm that will fight on your behalf.