By Megan Webster. Last Updated 22nd September 2022. If you suffer a minor eye injury in an accident caused by another party’s negligence, you could potentially claim for compensation.
Also in this guide, we’ll talk about the potential circumstances that may allow you to start a personal injury claim when seeking compensation for an eye injury. The potential physical and financial impacts of damage to an eye and how much compensation may be offered for these is also addressed further on in this guide.
This guide advises on making a minor eye injury claim. It does so primarily by providing an example case study where the victim receives a £10,000 payout.
Before reading ahead, why not contact our advisors here at Public Interest Lawyers. Use the Live Chat, complete the contact form, or simply call us on 0800 408 7825.
Minor eye injury compensation
Choose A Section
- What Is A Minor Eye Injury?
- Financial Issues From Eye Injuries
- Common Accidents That Can Cause A Minor Eye Injury
- Learn About Care Claims After An Eye Injury
- Estimates For Minor Eye Injury Settlements
- Case Study: £10,000 Payout For A Minor Eye Injury
- Calculating Compensation Payouts For An Eye Injury
- No Win No Fee Agreements And Eye Injury Claims
- Find The Right Personal Injury Lawyers For Your Minor Eye Injury Compensation Claim
- Chat Today About Your Eye Injury Claim
- Further Advice On Minor Eye Injury Claims
What Is A Minor Eye Injury?
A minor eye injury could take many forms. Ultimately though it may cause vision problems. It is an injury you may be suddenly aware of because your sight is affected. Typical symptoms could include bleeding or fluid from the eye, being unable to open the eye, a headache, vision being blurred or lost completely, and pain in the eye or around the eye area.
Recovery could be a matter of weeks for a minor eye injury. Note the importance of good vision for driving, performing crucial work tasks and so on. Hence you would need your eye to be back at 100% before being able to resume these duties. And that’s why a minor eye injury could be a major setback. Use the Live Chat function to find out more.
Financial Issues From Eye Injuries
Your vision is crucial when it comes to many lines of work, or simply getting to and from work. Therefore, the financial impact of having impaired vision, even if only for a few weeks, is significant. You may be able to just get by with damage to your arm or leg. But with an eye injury, you may need greater assistance. That could mean paying out of your own pocket for a carer to help you at home. It would also likely mean using public transport, since driving may not be practical with an eye injury.
And then we come to the actual work itself. Reduced vision than you are normally used to or an eye injury can make working at a computer a struggle, the same for presenting at a conference or completing mechanical or engineering tasks. Therefore, you may have to take a leave of absence which your employers might not cover. All of these scenarios could represent financial problems as a direct result of your eye injury. Give us a call today to discuss this topic in more depth.
Common Accidents That Can Cause A Minor Eye Injury
To make a negligence claim, you have to prove that a third party who owed you a duty of care breached this, resulting in you suffering an eye injury. As for what could entail? Let’s take a closer look …
- A workplace accident due to a duty breach would come under employer’s liability (EL). An employer’s duty of care comes from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to prevent avoidable injury at work. The 693,000 injuries at work in 2019/20 show that injuries in work can take place. One possible example could be a malfunctioning machine that explodes with pieces of machinery being lodged in your eye, thus causing damage. A work injury settlement could be the result of a minor eye injury claim.
- Those who operate public areas have public liability (PL), meaning a breach of the occupier’s duty of care via the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 could mean an injury results in compensation being paid. An injury in a public place could be a shelf collapsing in a supermarket, falling on your head and face causing an eye injury.
- Also, consider an eye injury via a road traffic accident (RTA), which breaches a driver’s duty of care that the Highway Code states. A crash could see you fall forward and injure your eye upon landing on the steering wheel. And if you suffer multiple injuries after a collision, then a multiple injury claim may be the best way forward.
Our friendly team can answer any questions you have about eye injury accident scenarios.
Learn About Care Claims After An Eye Injury
When it comes to an eye injury, additional care becomes a bigger priority, especially if you’re facing weeks of full recuperation. This could involve hiring a nurse to look after you by handling the basic chores of running a house. Perhaps you receive gracious care from family members or friends while you’re temporarily unable to see. Or maybe you hire a third party to manage the likes of gardening or dog-walking until you’re 100% again. Whatever it may be, all of this could comprise a care claim which could form part of your minor eye injury claim. Our specialists are here to offer further guidance should you require it regarding care claims.
Estimates For Minor Eye Injury Settlements
An independent medical evaluation is an important part of the claims process. You would answer questions about how the injury occurred, the impact on your life and have your projected recovery period estimated. These responses would strengthen your minor eye injury claim, thus increasing the likelihood of a settlement. From there, your compensation value is calculated as general damages and special damages.
General damages are all about how much pain and suffering you’re enduring, and how much your life has changed because of your eye injury. Special damages handle remaining costs like medication, public transport usage and loss of earnings, as well as professional care. These two elements form the basis for how much you could claim once your case is completed. To find out more information, complete our contact form.
Case Study: £10,000 Payout For A Minor Eye Injury
Mrs Simmons, 40, worked as a welder in Southampton. She had done the job for many years. But on one particular occasion, things went badly wrong.
Mrs Simmons was provided with personal protective equipment as part of her job. Recently there had been a shortage. The manager had been notified but the stock had not been replaced. Mrs Simmons went into work one morning to find that all the safety goggles had been taken. She asked her manager for any spare. The manager said he was waiting for a delivery but she was to carry working until they arrived.
Mrs Simmons was welding together a metal frame when a piece of metal broke away and embedded within her eye.
Straight away, Mrs Simmons felt extreme pain in her right eye and was unable to open it. Mrs Simmons was taken to her local hospital. The pieces of metal had to be removed from her eye. Her vision remained blurred and she had to wear a patch. Eyedrops and ointment also formed her required treatment during her recovery. Mrs Simmons had to take some time away from work until her eye was recovered.
Upon contemplation, Mrs Simmons was furious with her employers for not supplying her with sufficient equipment. And this was especially troubling, given the potentially serious long-term damage her eye could have received. But she was very worried that a similar situation could happen again. And could she really trust her employers to avoid making the same mistake in the future?
After seeking legal advice, Mrs Simmons filed an employer’s liability claim against her employers. She received £10,000 as an out-of-court minor eye injury claim compensation payout. This included £7,500 in general damages and £2,500 in special damages.
| Type Of Special Damages | Includes: | How Much? |
|---|---|---|
| Lost Earnings | Costs of lost earnings due to the injury during her 1-month lay-off | £2,000 |
| Medical Costs | Costs of medication & painkillers during her rehabilitation | £300 |
| Public Transport | Costs of public transport journeys to & from hospital | £100 |
| Other Costs | Additional expenses due to her injury | £100 |
The case of Mrs Simmons is purely an example. It is based on our past experiences of handling and valuing claims and serves to illustrate how accidents can happen and how they are valued.
Calculating Compensation Payouts For An Eye Injury
As we have stated previously, when making a claim for an eye injury, your compensation settlement could consist of general and special damages.
To help you understand how much you could receive in compensation for an eye injury, we have created the following table. The compensation brackets provided have been taken from the 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document that many legal professionals will use to help them value general damages.
However, it is important to note that if you pursue a claim for an eye injury, your compensation value may differ from the figures listed below. This is because how much compensation you could be entitled to will depend on the individual circumstances of your claim. Only use this table as a guide.
| Injury | Notes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Total Blindness and Deafness | This bracket applies to people who have suffered devastating injuries to both their sight and hearing. | In the region of £403,990 |
| Total Blindness | This bracket applies to people who have suffered permanent loss of sight. | In the region of £268,720 |
| Loss of Sight in One Eye with Reduced Vision in the Remaining Eye | (i) There is a serious risk of sight deteriorating in the remaining functional eye. | £95,990 to £179,770 |
| Loss of Sight in One Eye with Reduced Vision in the Remaining Eye | (ii) The remaining functional eye has reduced vision and there are additional problems such as double vision. | £63,950 to £105,990 |
| Total Loss of One Eye | The exact compensation offered will depend on several factors including age of the person, cosmetic effects and psychiatric consequences. | £54,830 to £65,710 |
| Complete Loss of Sight in One Eye | This bracket takes into account some risk of sympathetic ophthalmia. Some scarring may be present in the eye that has lost sight. | £49,270 to £54,830 |
| Injuries Affecting Sight | (f) This bracket applies to cases where there is serious but incomplete loss of vision in one eye. The other eye does not face significant risk of loss or reduction in vision. | £23,680 to £39,340 |
| Injuries Affecting Sight | (g) One or both eyes have minor but also permanent impairment of vision. | £9,110 to £20,980 |
| Minor Eye Injuries | Injuries could be caused by exposure to fumes, being struck in the eye or being splashed by liquids which could cause some initial pain. | £3,950 to £8,730 |
| Transient Eye Injuries | Within a few weeks, the person will have completely recovered. | £2,200 to £3,950 |
Do not hesitate to contact one of our advisors today if you wish to discuss your eye injury claim.
No Win No Fee Agreements And Eye Injury Claims
A No Win No agreement could bring numerous benefits to any claimant. They include no requirement to pay a personal injury solicitor’s legal fees up-front or while a case is ongoing. In fact, if the case loses, they wouldn’t have to pay anything whatsoever to your solicitor. Now, if the case wins, the No Win No Fee solicitor then takes a nominal figure called a success fee, which is capped by law. Talk to our knowledgeable team anytime about No Win No Fee agreements.
Find The Right Personal Injury Lawyers For Your Minor Eye Injury Compensation Claim
Now, if you’re going to win your case, you should strive to have the best personal injury lawyer possible. Numerous factors determine who out there is most suitable to handle your minor eye injury claim. These include successful cases in the past, positive reviews, top credentials and eye injury specialities.
Public Interest Lawyers could connect you to a panel of personal injury solicitors that has vast experience and knowledge that they could lend you to help you win your case. Call us using the number below to find out what we could bring to your case.
Chat Today About Your Eye Injury Claim
To speak with Public Interest Lawyers, you can call 0800 408 7825, use our Live Chat or fill out our online form. There’s no obligation to pursue your claim even after getting in touch, and we’re available to talk 24/7.
Further Advice On Minor Eye Injury Claims
We appreciate you taking out the time to read our guide on filing a minor eye injury claim. For further details, why not take a look at the additional links below.
- Our homepage explains everything that you need to know about working with Public Interest Lawyers.
- We also have a section dedicated to public accident claims.
- And we also discuss how to reduce the risk of potential public accidents.
- The NHS has its own page which breaks down eye injuries in greater detail.
- They also note the services that are most closely located in your hometown.
- And they have a page covering all of the services that they provide.
We hope this guide on claiming minor eye injury compensation has been helpful. If you would like to speak to an advisor for advice on claiming for damage to the eye, then you can get in touch with Public Interest Lawyers by using the contact details on this page.