Eye Injury
The eyes are delicate, and are vulnerable to several different types of traumatic injuries.
Common eye injuries include:
- Traumatic iritis or swelling of the eye surrounding the pupil, usually caused by direct trauma
- Corneal abrasion, a common injury that refers to a scratch on the eye due to a foreign object. This can happen when splinters, dust, debris, or glass gets in the eye.
- Puncture wounds or loss of the eye
- Ruptured globe refers to an injury of the sclera or cornea, often when something is jammed into the eye
- Hyphema, bleeding between the iris and the cornea
- Detached lens, usually the result of blunt force trauma
- Retinal detachment happens when the tissue at the back of the retina tears from the eye. This can occur in car accidents or when the head suffers a direct blow. Without treatment, it can cause permanent damage
- Orbital hematoma, a blood clot behind the eye usually caused by blunt force trauma
- Chemical burns
- Photokeratitis or welder’s eye is a type of thermal or UV damage common among welders
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage, a rupture in the blood vessels covering the whites of the eyes
Any of these injuries can be serious and risk permanent changes to vision. Sometimes immediate medical attention can save your vision, but this is not always possible. Depending on the type of eye injury, you may be left with double or blurred vision, reduced peripheral vision, poor night vision, sensitivity to light, or total blindness in one or both eyes.
Oklahoma Eye Injury Statistics
The eyes are delicate structures with very little protection. About 1,400 out of every 100,000 people eventually suffer some type of trauma to the eye over their life. While some eye injuries can heal, others result in partial or total vision loss.
Every year, there are about 800,000 work-related eye injuries. Sadly, 90% of all eye injuries could be avoided with proper eye protection. One-third of these eye injuries are treated in emergency rooms.
What Are Common Causes of Eye Injuries?
Eye injuries are more common than many people believe. Every year, tens of thousands of people suffer serious eye injuries, and many never recover their full vision. These injuries can occur at home, at work, while driving, or even while shopping or walking down the street.
The following are the leading causes of eye injuries that our Oklahoma City personal injury lawyers see on a regular basis.
Workplace Accidents
Work-related accidents are responsible for a large share of eye injuries.
These injuries can happen in many ways:
- Scraping or striking the eye. Most injuries happen when tiny particles scrape or hit the eye such as metal slivers, dust, or wood chips. Particles can be ejected from a tool or machinery, blown into the eye, or fall from above.
- Penetration injuries. Sometimes objects like staples or wood slivers penetrate the eyeball and result in permanent vision loss.
- Thermal or chemical burns. Many workers suffer vision loss due to chemical burns from cleaning products or industrial chemicals. Thermal burns can also cause serious eye injuries. Welders are at a high risk of welder’s flash, also called photokeratitis or a corneal flash burn.
Industrial and construction workplaces have the highest rates of eye injuries on the job. However, almost any workplace can be dangerous and lead to an eye injury.
Car Accidents
Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of eye injuries. It’s estimated that around 9,200 eye injuries happen every year in car accidents. These injuries may be the result of debris like glass scratching or penetrating the eye or a blow to the head that may cause a traumatic brain injury and trauma to the eye.
The force in a collision is enough to cause anything from a detached retina or orbital fracture to hyphemia or abrasions to the cornea.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Not all slip and fall accidents are minor. These accidents can also lead to serious back and spinal injuries, head injuries, and eye injuries. Most eye injuries that occur in a slip and fall happen due to a sharp blow to the head or blunt force trauma to the eye after falling face-first into an object. Slip and fall accident victims may suffer detached retinas, hyphemia, corneal abrasion, or fractures.
What Compensation is Available for an Eye Injury?
An eye injury can be serious and life-changing. You may get lucky and recover fully, regaining your normal eyesight. However, you may be left with permanent vision changes or even blindness. This means not only time off work or an inability to work but costly medical expenses and being forced to relearn how to perform basic tasks.
Your hobbies, ability to drive, and even your ability to take care of yourself can all be taken away in a moment.
If your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence or you were injured in a workplace accident, you may have the right to compensation. A workers’ compensation claim or personal injury claim can help you recover compensation to pay for your damages and make you as whole as possible.
Personal injury claims allow you to recover a wide range of damages, including:
- Medical expenses, including the future anticipated cost associated with your injury. This includes hospitalization, surgery, doctor visits, medication, medical devices, and physical therapy.
- Home health care and home adaptations
- Lost wages while you recover
- Reduced future earning capacity or disability
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
If your injury was work-related, you could recover compensation through a workers’ comp claim. You cannot recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering, but you may be entitled to medical expenses, lost wages, and disability benefits.
After an accident, it’s crucial to consult with an experienced Oklahoma City eye injury lawyer to review your case and help you seek the compensation you deserve. At McGuire Law Firm, we have decades of handling complex personal injury cases involving life-changing eye injuries.
What's the Statute of Limitations For Eye Injury Claims in Oklahoma?
It’s crucial to keep the Oklahoma statute of limitations for personal injury claims in mind after your accident. Under Oklahoma law, you have just two years to file your claim. If you miss this important deadline, you will be barred from recovering the compensation you deserve from the at-fault party.
If your accident occurred on the job, you must report the injury to your employer within 30 days. You still have two years to file for workers’ compensation benefits.
It is never a good idea to delay pursuing your claim. Depending on the details of your accident, an in-depth investigation may be needed to establish liability and prove the extent of your damages. If you wait, critical evidence may be lost forever, which weakens your claim.
Contact an eye injury lawyer in Oklahoma City as soon as possible to protect your claim and begin building your case.
Request a Free Consultation with an Oklahoma City Personal Injury Lawyer
Have you suffered an eye injury in a traumatic accident or on the job in Oklahoma City, OK? You may be entitled to compensation through workers’ compensation or a personal injury claim. McGuire Law Firm is here to help you.
We have represented injury victims in Oklahoma for decades with extensive experience fighting insurance companies. Contact our law firm today for a free consultation with an Oklahoma City personal injury lawyer to discuss your case.
