Injuries that cause blindness: are you at risk?
Eye injuries may occur at any moment leading to partial or total blindness. According to a study in 2001, about 6.9 out of 1000 people need treatment for eye injuries. They can be caused by either chemical or physical objects that damage parts of the eye, such as the optic nerve or other areas related to vision.
Whether eye injuries are caused by a finger poke, a speck of dirt, or a thrown object, it is essential to address them immediately. You can seek medical attention to improve or cure some forms of blindness using technological, surgical, or medical innovations.
Types and causes of eye injuries
Chemical burns and exposure to a chemical splash are common, especially when working in a firm handling such substances. Some chemicals such as sunscreen will only irritate the eye for a short while. However, others like alkalis and strong acids are high-risk materials that can damage the ocular surface.
These chemicals can be found in fertilizers, ovens, or drain cleaners. They attack the eye tissue very fast, leading to significant damage or blindness. The extent of the injuries depends on how deep and how long it lasts in the eye.
Corneal abrasions are a traumatic effect on the cornea’s surface, usually at the iris and the pupil’s front. The injury can be due to a poke to the eye while playing with a toy or from metallic objects, a tree branch, and wearing contact lenses for too long.
If hit by a blunt blow such as an airbag, fist, or club, you can develop traumatic iritis. You can also get hit by a blunt object with significant force leading to hyphema. It can be caused by a kick on the face or being struck by a champagne cork, racquetball.
Usually, most of these cases stem from the following:
- Defective products
- Explosions
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Medical errors
- Workplace accidents.
Common eye injury symptoms
Depending on the type of eye injury, it may have varying symptoms. If you have a subconjunctival hemorrhage, you may not feel any pain in the eye, and the vision isn’t affected. However, you may notice a red spot on the eye’s white part due to a blood vessel’s rapture.
Persons suffering from iritis will experience light and pain sensitivity, which can have excessive tearing. Chemicals also cause intense burning and pain, which make the eye red as the eyelids swell.
Corneal abrasions come with lots of pain, tearing, and sensitivity to light. Orbital blowout fractures lead to swollen eyelids, double vision, and pain during eye movement.
Other symptoms may include:
- Partial or total loss of sight
- Vertigo and dizziness
- Inability to see clearly in the dark
- Loss of depth perception.
Compensation for eye injuries
Some eye injuries can result from accidents, but what happens if another person caused it? You can rely on an attorney to help you get compensated for the damages. Besides, 90% of 800,000 work-related eye injuries that occur each year could be prevented.
Whatever the case is, from losing an eye to total blindness, you can seek assistance from a professional attorney. Your medical professional also helps the attorney in framing the compensation amount. You can click the URL here to know more about it. You can get compensation for all the medical procedures, medication, lost wages, and more.
Bottom Line
Vision is essential to a person’s perception, and sudden impairment can have adverse effects on every aspect of your life. Many accidents that lead to eye injuries happen at work due to a co-worker or employer’s negligence.
Blindness in both eyes is considered, in many states, a “catastrophic injury,” which means that you can rake in up to $2 million in compensation (source: https://www.preszlerlaw.com/areas-we-serve/toronto-on/catastrophic-injury-lawyer/). If you were affected by severe eye injuries through no fault of your own, talk to a specialized attorney today!
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