Car accidents are responsible for 15% of the cases of blindness in adults and 8% in children. While anyone can lose an eye in an accident, men above the age of 45 have a higher percentage of blindness due to accidents.
Eyes Loss and Enucleation Surgery
The front part of an eye includes the iris, pupil, conjunctiva, cornea, and sclera. The back part includes the optical nerve, lenses, and retina. When the eye is severely injured in an accident, surgical removal of the eye may be necessary to treat it. This procedure is known as enucleation surgery. During the procedure, the muscles connecting to the outside of the eyeball are not removed if they are not injured. These muscles will help move the artificial eye implant.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Loss or Enucleation
When a car accident victim reports to a doctor with severe eye trauma, pain, tenderness, and inflammation, the doctor first examines the eye and vision. If they think that the eye cannot be saved, they remove it surgically. After this, the car accident victim is fitted with a custom-made prosthetic, also known as a glass eye or artificial eye to improve facial appearance. Depending on the type of prosthetic implant, and whether or not the eye muscles are intact after the injury, the prosthetic eye may move like a normal eye.
It is needless to say that losing one’s eye in a car accident can be one of the worst types of trauma a person can experience. Adjusting to the loss of eye and vision is the most immediate effect, and it takes a lot of time before the victim can learn to perform daily activities such as personal care, walking on the roads, and reading. In many states, people with one eye are allowed to drive so long as the eye is correctable to close to 20/20 vision.
Most auto accident victims find it difficult to adjust to the trauma of losing an eye and having a prosthetic implanted in its place. Victims often require psychological treatment for a long period of time to learn to cope up with the trauma. They also need a lot of time to make adjustments to the visual deficit and changed condition. Victims also have to be extra careful about the other eye to avoid any further loss.
If you have suffered a serious injury in a car accident and lost an eye as a result, or the eye had to be surgically removed after the traumatic accident, you may have a claim.
Free Consultation with a St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer
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