Most people think of head injuries, brain injuries, fractures from trips or slips, spinal injuries and neck injuries when they hear the term ‘personal injury compensation claim’. However, a personal injury claim can be made for any type of injury if another party was responsible. Other less common personal injury claims can be made for post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness conditions such as excessive stress at work, but another form of injury that is often overlooked is an eye injury.

As we age, our eyes gradually become less effective and our eyesight slowly declines, while some people also suffer from conditions which result in muscular degeneration, or other eye conditions such as glaucoma. Losing sight is one of the most common fears, and any problems affecting sight can be deeply troubling and upsetting, but thankfully, most eye conditions can be treated with medical aids.

However, there are occasions where a person may suffer loss of sight in a personal injury accident, resulting in them being unable to lead a normal life, earn a living, or enjoy social situations. In these situations, medical treatment may not be able to restore their sight completely, and ongoing medical treatment may be required to either overcome their injuries, or live as normal a life as possible. In situations where someone has been injured through no fault of their own, they are entitled to claim compensation through a personal injury claim on a no-win no-fee basis.

Claiming for eye injury compensation

As with all personal injury compensation claims, if you have suffered an eye injury through no fault of your own, you are eligible to claim compensation. The level of compensation awarded will differ on a case-by-case basis, and will be determined by the severity of the injury and its ongoing influence on your life. Most eye injuries are categorised into 2 separate groups, accidental injuries at work, in school, while playing sports or while in a road traffic accident etc., or injuries caused by medical negligence.

As with all claims, before contacting a personal injury solicitor you should seek medical treatment; medical evidence of the severity of your injury will be needed to support your claim. You should also try and obtain any pictures of the accident scene which support your claim, in addition to contact details of any witnesses. If the injury was sustained in a road traffic accident or in a public place, obtaining a copy of any police record will also help your compensation claim. Finally, it’s advisable to supply any financial records showing any additional expenses you’ve incurred because of the injury.

When you start a personal injury claim with us, we will contact the other person’s insurance provider requesting a compensation package that we will agree with you beforehand. If the other person’s insurance company accepts liability, the compensation will be awarded to you. If the insurance company rejects liability, the case will likely go to court where a judge will rule on who is guilty and how much compensation should be awarded. As we mentioned earlier, the level of compensation awarded will depend on the nature of your claim, and the severity of your eye injury. In less severe cases (where the eye injury is minor, with just aches and bruising) compensation levels range from £2,500 to £6,000. Whereas in the most severe, life-changing cases (blindness in one or both eyes), compensation levels range from £36,000 to £175,000.

If you have suffered an eye injury, our team of experienced personal injury solicitors are here to help. Get in touch today on 0800 156 0770, email enquiries@fonsecalaw.co.uk, fill out our online claim evaluation form, or pop into our legal offices based in Ebbw Vale, South Wales.