An eye injury can be a frightening and disorienting experience, as any damage to the eyes can have a significant impact on our lives, affecting our ability to work and enjoy daily activities.

Each year in the UK, thousands of people go to an accident and emergency department for medical treatment related to eye injuries. While many of these are minor, some can be a serious injury, potentially leading to long-term vision problems or even permanent vision loss.

When an accident does happen because of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to make a claim for compensation. Here, JMW's eye injury compensation solicitors break down the most common causes of eye injuries, and the circumstances in which you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

What Are the Most Common Scenarios That Lead to Eye Injuries?

Eye injuries can happen anywhere, but they often arise from specific situations where another party may be at fault.

Car accidents

The force and chaos of a vehicle collision can easily result in serious eye injuries. Common causes of eye injuries in a car crash include:

• Airbag deployment: While they save lives, airbags deploy at a very high speed. This can cause blunt trauma to the face and eyes, leading to a black eye, orbital fractures, retinal detachment, or chemical burns from the propellants used.
• Shattered glass and flying debris: Broken glass from windows or other vehicle components can become projectiles, causing lacerations, a corneal abrasion or a penetrating injury where a sharp object enters the eye itself.
• Impact with the vehicle’s interior: Striking the head on the steering wheel or dashboard can cause severe blunt eye trauma, fractures to the eye socket and damage to the optic nerve.

Traumatic brain injuries: Head trauma sustained in a crash can also affect vision, causing symptoms like blurred vision, double vision and light sensitivity.

Accidents in public places

Property owners and local authorities have a duty to ensure their premises are reasonably safe for the public. When they fail in this duty, accidents can occur. Eye injuries in public places often result from:

• Slips, trips and falls: A fall on an uneven pavement or a wet floor can cause you to hit your face, leading to blunt trauma injuries.
• Falling objects: In shops, warehouses, or on construction sites, poorly stacked items or unsecured materials can fall and strike a person in the head or eye.
• Assaults: Being physically attacked is a significant cause of eye injuries, from a black eye to more severe eye trauma.

Defective products

Sometimes, the cause of an eye injury is a faulty product. This can range from defective car parts that fail during an accident to industrial items. Examples include:

• Leaking industrial chemicals from defective containers, causing chemical exposure.
• Power tools that malfunction and eject parts or debris.
• Toys or sports equipment that break unexpectedly or have a dangerous design flaw.
• Defective safety goggles that fail to provide the advertised level of eye protection.

Sports and recreational activities

While often accidental, some sports injuries can be grounds for a claim if they are the result of poorly maintained facilities, defective equipment or exceptionally reckless behaviour from another participant. Sports such as basketball, baseball and racquet sports are common sources of eye injuries, typically caused by blunt trauma from a ball, elbow or racket.

Accidents at work

The workplace is one of the most common settings for eye injuries. Employers are legally obligated to provide a safe working environment, which includes proper training, safety protocols, and making sure employees are wearing eye protection.

Common causes of eye injuries at work include:

• Flying debris such as metal, wood or dust particles.
• Splashes from hazardous chemicals.
• Radiation exposure from tasks like welding.
• Blunt force trauma from tools or machinery.
• Inadequate or defective personal protective equipment.

For a more detailed look at this area, please read our guide on what causes the most eye injuries at work.

What Are the Most Common Types of Eye Injury?

From a medical perspective, the circumstances above can lead to several specific types of eye injury, ranging in severity.

Corneal abrasion (scratched eye)

A corneal abrasion is a scratch on the clear surface of the eye (the cornea). This is one of the most common eye injuries and can be caused by a foreign object like dust or sand getting under the eyelid, a poke in the eye or even improper use of contact lenses. Symptoms often include severe eye pain, redness, tearing and the feeling that something is in your eye. Even small scratches can be very painful and may lead to infection if not treated by an eye doctor.

Foreign objects in the eye

This happens when a foreign body, such as a wood chip, metal shaving or piece of glass enters the eye. If the object is on the eye's surface, it may cause a corneal abrasion. However, a sharp object can penetrate the eyeball, which is a medical emergency that can threaten your sight and requires immediate medical attention. If you sustain a penetrating eye injury, do not attempt to remove the object or apply pressure. A good way to protect the injured eye is to tape a paper cup over it while waiting for emergency care.

Blunt force trauma

A direct blow to the eye from an object or a fist can cause significant eye damage. This blunt eye trauma can result in several conditions:

• Black eye: Bruising and swelling of the eyelid and surrounding tissues. Applying a cold compress or ice pack can help, but it’s wise to have an eye exam to rule out more serious damage.
• Subconjunctival haemorrhage: This is a broken blood vessel on the white of the eye, which causes a bright red patch. A subconjunctival haemorrhage looks alarming but is often harmless and resolves on its own.
• Hyphema (eye bleeding): This is bleeding in the space between the cornea and the iris (the coloured part of the eye). A hyphema is a serious condition that can cause increased eye pressure and vision loss, requiring urgent review by an eye doctor.
• Orbital blowout fracture: The impact can be strong enough to fracture the bones of the eye socket. A blowout fracture can trap eye muscles, causing double vision or making it difficult to move the eye. Bone fragments can also cause further damage. A CT scan is often needed for diagnosis.
• Retinal detachment: The force of the blow can cause the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (the retina) to tear or detach. This is a very serious eye injury that can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated quickly.

Chemical burns

Chemical exposure is a common cause of serious eye injuries. Acids and, in particular, alkaline substances found in products like drain cleaners and oven cleaners can cause severe, rapid damage to the eye's surface and deeper structures.

Radiation exposure

Radiation exposure can also harm the eyes. This is most commonly seen in welders who experience a painful 'welder's flash' (photokeratitis) from UV radiation. It can also happen from overexposure to sunlight without proper protective eyewear.

When Can You Make a Claim for an Eye Injury?

Sustaining an eye injury does not automatically mean you can make a claim for compensation. In the UK, personal injury law is based on the principle of negligence. To have grounds for a claim, you must be able to show that another party was at fault for your injury.

This involves demonstrating three key things:

1. Duty of care: The other party owed you a legal duty of care. For example, employers have a duty to implement eye injury prevention measures to protect their employees, drivers have a duty to other road users and businesses have a duty to keep visitors safe.
2. Breach of duty: This party failed to meet the standard of care required. This could be an employer not providing safety goggles, a driver speeding through a red light or a shop failing to clean up a spillage.
3. Causation: The eye injury you sustained was a direct result of this breach of duty or the breach made a material contribution to it.

There is a strict time limit for making a personal injury claim, which is typically three years from the date the accident occurred. If a child sustains an injury, this time limit does not begin until their 18th birthday.