Did Your Car Crash Cause an Eye Injury?

Car accidents cause all kinds of physical damage, including injuries to the eyes. Understanding how eye injuries happen during a collision is important, as they could result in permanent vision loss without immediate treatment. Like any other type of injury, physical damage to the eye can range in severity from minor to severe, with the latter sometimes accompanied by permanent loss of vision.

Common Car Accident-Related Eye Injuries 

Injuries to the eye during a car crash can happen in a variety of ways. Most commonly, however, they are the result of:

• The face striking the window, steering wheel, or dashboard;
• Getting struck by flying debris, including broken glass; or
• Exposure to the dangerous chemicals released when airbags deploy.

Resulting injuries can vary in seriousness and include:

• Bruising around the eye caused by the trauma of impact;
• Lacerations from shattered glass, which can affect the eyelid, eyeball, or socket;
• Orbital fractures, which occur when the bones in the eye socket crack or shatter and are often associated with brain injuries;
• Hyphema, which happens when trauma to the eyeball causes blood to enter the anterior chamber;
• Chemical burns to the cornea, leading to irritation and potential blindness;
• Traumatic cataracts, in which the lens in the eye starts to become clouded, causing blurred vision;
• Retinal detachment, which occurs when a blow to the head causes the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye (the retina) to detach from the blood vessels that connect it to the eye; and
• Optic nerve damage, which can happen when trauma causes too much pressure to be placed on the nerve, cutting off circulation and causing blindness.

Many of these eye injuries have potentially permanent repercussions, which is why timely diagnosis and treatment after an accident is so important.

Symptoms of a Traumatic Eye Injury 

The kinds of symptoms that a car accident victim sustains (when suffering from an eye injury) will depend on the type of injury in question. All car crash victims, however, should remain vigilant for signs of the following symptoms, which are often indicative of a serious eye problem:

• Bruising and swelling around the eye;
• Irritated, red, or itchy eyes;
• Seeing flashes of light or dark spots;
• Bleeding in or around the eyes;
• Blurry vision;
• Reduced eye coordination or movement; and
• Partial or total blindness.

Not all of these symptoms will be permanent. Many accident victims who obtain treatment right away, for instance, are healed within a week or two. Others, however, will require immediate emergency treatment to avoid permanent damage. Sadly, timely treatment isn’t always enough to prevent chronic problems down the road. Fortunately, accident victims who suffer eye injuries, no matter how severe, can often recover compensation for their medical bills, including the cost of diagnosis and ongoing treatment. In the event that a victim is permanently disabled as a result of a crash, he or she could also be entitled to reimbursement for pain and suffering, lost wages, and loss of enjoyment.

Call Shiver Hamilton Campbell for Legal Help 

To speak with an experienced Roswell car accident lawyer about liability for your car crash-related eye injury, please call Shiver Hamilton Campbell at 404-593-0020 today.

Sources:

 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4162731/

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10940424/