Orange County Eye Injury Attorneys
Get Legal Help After an Eye Injury
The importance of good vision in a person’s life cannot be overstated. Approximately 80% of what we perceive comes through the sense of sight. An eye injury can be permanent, with life-altering consequences. If you have suffered an eye injury that has affected your vision through someone else’s negligence, you may have a claim for compensation.
However, you will only be able to recover compensation from a successful claim, and that requires the help of an experienced attorney. Thankfully, one of the best personal injury firms in California is in Orange County. We at Allen Flatt Ballidis & Leslie have the skills you need to get the settlement that you deserve. To speak to a member of our excellent legal team, call us at (949) 752-7474 today.
Common Causes of Eye Injuries
While the eye is vital for the sense of sight, it is an incredibly vulnerable part of the body. Made up of soft tissues, the eye is easily damaged. In our experience, the common causes of eye injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents: Including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents
- Sports injuries: Blows from hands, balls, bats, or other sports equipment
- Industrial accidents: Flying pieces of material from explosions
- Construction accidents
- Chemical splashes
- Flying objects, such as bullets, darts, fireworks, BBs, and bungee cords
- Punches to the eye in violent assaults
How your eye was hurt will determine who you hold liable for your injuries. For example, in a car accident, you would hold the negligent driver responsible; while in a construction accident, you may hold a subcontractor liable. However, the cause will not determine the kind of treatment you need: that depends on the kind of eye injury you are suffering from.
Types of Eye Injuries
Ocular trauma, frequently treated in emergency rooms, is a common cause of visual impairment. Every year, approximately 2.4 million eye injuries occur in the U.S., as stated on Medscape. About 10% to 20% of these injuries result in temporary or permanent loss of vision. Types of injuries to the eye include:
- Penetrating eye injuries: Flying shards of metal or other materials can become embedded in the eye.
- Ruptured globe: A full-thickness injury to the eye wall that involves a laceration on the eye, damaging the lens or white surface of the eye.
- Post-traumatic endophthalmitis: A complication of a ruptured globe involving inflammation and infection of the eye cavities.
- Hyphema: A hemorrhage at the bottom of the anterior chamber of the eye that will appear as extreme redness at the bottom of the lens.
- Orbital hematoma: Blunt force trauma can cause a fracture of the orbital floor to compress the optic nerve, resulting in blood pooling in the space between the eye and the skull.
- Traumatic vitreous hemorrhage: A hemorrhage within the eye that may involve the rupturing of the healthy retinal blood vessels or breakthrough bleeding from a subretinal hemorrhage.
- Chemical injuries: Alkali-containing agents, such as high-concentration bleach and commercial cleaners, cause more damage to the cornea of the eye than acid compounds.
While you may assume than an injury to the eye would be obvious, they can actually be difficult to spot at times. This is especially true following an accident, when your adrenaline is preventing you from feeling pain. Treating eye injuries quickly can help prevent permanent vision loss, so knowing the symptoms and seeking immediate medical help is key.
Symptoms of Serious Eye Injuries
Eye injuries can cause serious vision loss. It is essential to recognize the symptoms and get immediate medical attention for eye injuries. Do not try to treat them yourself, as advised by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Symptoms of eye injury include:
- Obvious pain or difficulty seeing
- Torn or cut eyelid(s)
- One eye that does not move as well as the other
- One eye that sticks out more than the other
- Blood in the clear part of the eye
- Unusual size or shape of the pupil of the eye
- Something lodged in the eye or under the eyelid that cannot be easily removed
Medical science has come incredibly far, and there are ways to restore full or partial sight to a damaged eye. However, that kind of treatment should be sought immediately, as the older the injury, the more difficult it is to treat it. If you believe you have suffered an eye injury, you should call for medical assistance as soon as possible. Otherwise, the best treatment may no longer be an option.
Treatment for Eye Injuries
Some common eye injuries, such as deep puncture wounds, require immediate treatment that may involve surgery to prevent permanent eye damage and vision loss. If you have a foreign object embedded in the surface of the eye, it should be removed by a doctor as soon as possible. If your eyes have been exposed to acid or alkaline chemicals, put your head under a steady stream of lukewarm tap water and let it run for approximately 15 minutes. Then call your eye doctor or go to an emergency room immediately. All eye injuries should be treated as potential emergencies. Do not hesitate to contact a doctor right away.
The Impact of Vision Loss
An eye injury will have a devastating impact on your life. First, the injury will need to be treated. That may even require surgery, which can be incredibly expensive. Few people can afford to pay the medical bills that come along with such an injury, especially if they have to take time off from work to heal. That can leave you in financial trouble.
On top of that, seriously visually impaired people are not permitted to drive, meaning that you will have to rely on friends and family or public transportation to get around. That can impact your level of independence, as well as your ability to work. If you job requires that you have full vision, or requires that you be able to operate a vehicle, you may have to make a sudden career switch.
All of those changes can quickly add up, making your financial hole even deeper. The truth is, disabilities are expensive. What may seem like a small injury to the eye can leave you with a heavy monetary burden. That is why seeking compensation for your injury from the person who caused it is so important. While it will not undo the damage that has been done to your vision, it can help you pay off any medical debts, as well as give you a comfortable life while you try to adjust to your new disability. However, recovering compensation is only possible with the help of an experienced attorney.
Seeking Compensation for Eye Injuries Caused by Negligence
If you have suffered an eye injury in a car crash or another accident caused by the negligence of another, you may be entitled to file a claim for damages. Our Orange County personal injury attorneys at Allen Flatt Ballidis & Leslie can investigate your accident to determine fault and liability and assess the full extent of your damages, which may include permanent vision loss. We have more than four decades of experience and a history of success in recovering compensation for our clients. Call us today at (949) 752-7474 to schedule a free consultation with no obligation and no time limits or restrictions.
Eye Injury Verdicts and Settlements
- $275,000 - Eye socket fracture due to a pedestrian accident
- $250,000 - Truck accident causes eye injury
Click here for more case results.
Additional Information
- Dancer Suffers Permanent Eye Injury on Chris Brown Music Video Shoot
- Recognizing and Treating Eye Injuries - American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Eye Injury | MedlinePlus
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