Legal Compensation for Vision Impairment or Blindness as a Result of Injury

 Posted on December 21, 2016 in Catastrophic Injuries

We rely on our five senses to operate on a daily basis. Those senses are sight, smell, taste, sound, and touch. Once accustomed to utilizing all five consistently, having any one of them unexpectedly removed or altered is life-changing. Therefore, when it comes to a loss of sight, also known as blindness, the resulting obstacles leave many families struggling to adjust.

Any extreme loss of sight has the potential to become devastating—physically, emotionally, and financially. If an accident occurs due to the negligence of someone else, and vision impairment is caused, then that individual should rightfully be held accountable.

Loss of Sight

Total blindness is the inability to see anything, light included. To go from seeing the world around you in vibrant clarity, and to then be harshly plunged into a world of darkness, is potentially catastrophic.

Due to the multi-faceted nature of vision, if any single part of the complicated visual process is damaged, vision loss is probable. Therefore, blindness is not the only visual disability and many times total blindness is not immediate—blindness is progressive. An individual can go from a seemingly lesser severity of loss to the final point.

Other forms of ocular injuries include:

• Loss of an eye;
• Damaged visual acuity;
• Impaired peripheral vision; or
• Related conditions such as vertigo or double vision.

Causes

An estimated 1.1 million Americans are legally blind, based on the degradation of vision to below 20/200. Again, many of these individuals do have some visual ability; however, assistance is required. Nearly 4 percent of these people claim injury is to blame. Leading causes of vision loss include:

• Damage to the brain, skull, or scalp;
• Chlorine poisoning;
• Intracranial hemorrhages; and
• Foreign objects.

What to Do

If you suspect an eye emergency due to loss of vision and other related symptoms, it is important to seek medical treatment immediately. Often, vision is savable with quick reaction times. Do not attempt to treat it yourself as doing so potentially further complicates the matter. Also be sure not to rub or apply pressure, remove a foreign object, or use any medications. Finally, contact an attorney as soon as possible. With the correct representation, you have the right to have those who may be responsible for your injuries pay for the costs.

If you are interested in speaking with a Santa Clara, CA vision impairment attorney, please contact the Law Office of John J. Garvey, III today. Call 408-293-7777 today to schedule your risk-free initial consultation.

Sources:

http://www.healthline.com/health/eye-emergencies

http://www.mcwdn.org/Blind/BlindnessCauses.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/blindness/article.htm