We all know that no matter how safe we drive or how defensive a driver we try to be, there is always a chance of getting into a car accident. With all of the traffic on the roads and highways of Delaware, getting into a car crash is bound to happen. Most of the time, the injuries people suffer from in car accidents aren’t severe, but sometimes injuries require several weeks of treatment and healing, and then the person is back to full health.
However, some accidents are very violent and cause serious injuries and sometimes even deaths. One type of serious injury that does not happen often in car crashes, but can happen, is loss of one’s vision. The loss of one’s vision due to injuries sustained in a car accident can be life-altering.
Common Vision Injuries After a Car Accident
There are many types of eye injuries and damage to one’s vision that can happen from a car accident. Often, due to the force of the crash, people are thrown about the inside of their vehicle, where broken glass, loose personal objects, and other debris may impact them. A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by impact to the head can also cause vision loss. Any injury to the eye or head can cause several types of severe damage to one’s vision.
Blindness
The physical injuries that one suffers can be to such an extent that victims completely lose the ability to see. This can be caused by physical injuries to their eyes, face, and head. This can also be caused by third-degree burns to the head or face, which are possible if a car crash causes a fire. If the physical injuries to the eyes are severe enough, the eye will not be able to be repaired, and the victim will have lost their vision permanently. When someone loses their eyesight, it can completely upend their lives, making them unable to work in a job that requires good eyesight, with life-changing effects on a person and their family.
Blurred Vision
There are many injuries to one’s eyes from a car crash that cause temporary or permanent blurriness in one eye or both. Obviously, if the vision in one or both eyes is consistently blurry and cannot be corrected with treatment or glasses, it can permanently disable them from certain kinds of work. Optic nerve damage from a car crash can sometimes be repaired or sometimes will heal over time, but the medical procedures to restore the optic nerve and recovery from said procedures are difficult, and optic nerves rarely, if ever, heal on their own.
Loss of Depth Perception
The loss of depth perception can occur when one eye is damaged to the point of blindness, while the other eye remains healthy. Many people have only one working eye, whether due to an accident, a birth defect, or a medical condition, and they still live whole and fruitful lives. When it happens from a car accident, it could take a survivor a long time to be able to get used to not having vision in one eye. It can affect their job and their ability to drive or do other technical tasks.
Sensitivity to Light and Glare
Injuries to the eye from a car crash affect someone’s vision by causing sensitivity to light. This can be especially difficult while driving at night due to the headlights from oncoming vehicles or the glare from street signs or lights. The sensitivity to light can be so great that it prevents someone from driving at night altogether. This could significantly affect someone’s quality of life, leading to a sense of loss of independence.
Loss of Peripheral Vision
Most people do not realize how often they use their peripheral vision. It is vital when driving: we constantly scan the area in front of us with our direct vision and, unconsciously, with our peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is how most people can quickly react to a vehicle approaching from a side road or neighboring lane. We first see it or sense the object with our peripheral vision, then we respond to it. Once this type of vision is removed or hindered, it can seriously affect how safely someone can drive. Without peripheral vision, it becomes challenging to drive defensively and to react quickly to sudden emergencies. The loss of peripheral vision may even preclude one from working in specific industries and sectors where a whole field of vision is a safety necessity.
Compensation for Loss of Vision After a Motor Vehicle Accident
If you have had your vision impaired by injuries sustained in a car crash, you may be entitled to compensation for that injury. Trying to place a value on the loss of someone’s vision, either one eye or both, can be very difficult: first, these types of injuries do not often happen; and secondly, in many cases, there are not many options for medical treatment or surgeries related to the loss of vision. The best course of action is to contact an experienced personal injury attorney.
Rhoades & Morrow Helps Injured Victims After Accidents
If your eyes have been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver, call our Delaware car accident lawyers. Our knowledgeable team can answer all your questions, help you through this tough time, and seek compensation and justice on your behalf. Contact Rhoades & Morrow to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Wilmington, Newark, Milford, and Lewes, serving clients throughout Delaware.
