Optician Negligence Claims

Visiting an optician is routine for many people, who place great trust in these professionals to provide appropriate care and to correctly diagnose any problems with their vision or eye health. Unfortunately, opticians - as with any other medical professionals - can make errors, and any mistakes made regarding eye care can have very serious consequences.

Errors by an optometrist, ophthalmologist or dispensing optician can cause blurred or double vision, further deterioration and sometimes permanent vision impairment. A medical negligence claim can help you seek compensation for the harm caused and the financial losses you experienced.

At JMW, our solicitors specialise in optician negligence claims, and we can provide the expert legal assistance you need to help you secure the best possible outcome, whilst offering support at every step of the process. We handle many optician negligence compensation claims on a no win, no fee basis, so there is no financial risk to start your claim.

Contact JMW today to find out more about making a successful optician negligence claim on 0345 872 6666, or complete our online enquiry form for a call back to discuss your options.

How JMW Can Help

JMW acts for people across England and Wales who have experienced harm in both NHS and private treatment settings. Our cases often involve the misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of conditions like glaucoma, retinal detachment, macular degeneration and eye cancer. Others relate to delayed referrals to hospital eye services when urgent attention was required, or incorrect prescriptions that leave people struggling with headaches, visual strain or reduced vision.

We also handle claims involving contact lens complications caused by poor hygiene advice or inadequate aftercare, as well as negligent pre- or post-operative advice linked to laser eye surgery. In each case, we focus on understanding what went wrong, how it could have been avoided, and what support you will need to move forward.

Our team carefully reviews your medical records, eye test results and referral history, and consults independent ophthalmology and optometry experts to determine whether your care fell below a reasonable standard. We make sure to calculate the wider financial and practical effects of the harm you have experienced, such as lost earnings, travel expenses, medical fees and ongoing care costs.

JMW handles many cases on a no win, no fee basis, meaning there is no financial risk to begin your claim. Legal fees and funding options will always be explained clearly from the outset.

Headed by leading clinical negligence solicitors Eddie Jones and Angharad Hughes, our team is one of the most respected in England and Wales. Our team includes members of the Law Society’s specialist panel for clinical negligence solicitors and the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) solicitors panel.

We have helped many people to rebuild their lives after negligent eye care and continue to set high standards in achieving fair outcomes for our clients. Call us today to talk about your circumstances and find out whether you are entitled to make an optician negligence claim.

Meet Our Team of Optician Negligence Claim Experts

JMW’s specialist solicitors have extensive experience handling optometrist negligence and dispensing optician claims, including complex cases involving serious but incomplete loss of vision and long-term effects on quality of life.

Am I Eligible to Make an Optician Negligence Claim?

You may be eligible to claim compensation if:

• A medical professional was responsible for your eye care and the care they provided was substandard, or they acted negligently compared with what a reasonably competent practitioner would have done.
• That breach directly caused or worsened your eye condition, leading to physical harm, further deterioration or permanent loss of vision.

If you’re unsure, speak to our team. During a free consultation, we will review your situation, explore whether there were any missed opportunities for further testing or treatment by the optician or other eyecare specialist and assess whether negligence occurred.

Common Types of Optician Negligence Claims

Optician negligence can take many forms. You may be entitled to claim compensation if you have suffered due to:

• Misdiagnosis of eye conditions, such as cataracts or glaucoma
• Failure to diagnose eye problems
• Referrals for further treatment being delayed
• Mistakes made during laser eye surgery

As well as the physical impact they can have, problems such as these can have a major impact psychologically. Being unable to see as well as you did previously can impact on your social life, your hobbies and activities, as well as your ability to drive, work and earn a living. The social and financial implications of this can be enormous and can lead to feelings of isolation and depression.

It is therefore essential to seek expert legal assistance in these instances to help you claim the compensation you may need to help you move forward and rebuild your life.

How Much Compensation Could I Receive?

There is no fixed amount of compensation for optician negligence. Each case is unique, and the award will depend on the extent of harm and how it has affected your life. To make sure your claim fairly covers every element of the impact the clinical negligence has had on your life and health, our solicitors will assess two types of damages:

• General damages for the pain, suffering and impact on your quality of life, including permanent loss of sight, reduced vision and psychological injury. These are calculated using the Judicial College Guidelines, which are a set of official figures used by solicitors and the courts to help value injuries consistently across all medical negligence cases.
• Special damages are designed to cover your full range of financial losses, including lost earnings, medical fees, care costs, travel expenses and the cost of specialist equipment or adaptations.

A successful optician negligence compensation claim should reflect the full impact of what happened by covering your financial losses, the practical effects on your daily life and any future adjustments you may need to make as a result of the negligent treatment.

Evidence to Support an Eye Injury Compensation Claim

Building a strong optician negligence claim relies on clear, detailed evidence showing how the care you received fell below the expected standard and how this caused harm. Your solicitor at JMW will guide you through this process and gather all relevant documentation, which may include:

• Medical records and test results including prescriptions, OCT scans, referral letters and treatment notes from your optician, GP or hospital’s eye department. These records establish the timeline of your care and highlight where errors or delays occurred.
• Independent expert opinions from specialists in ophthalmology or optometry who can assess whether your treatment met the expected professional standard and determine how any negligence contributed to your condition.
• Witness statements from you, family members or others who can describe your symptoms, how your eyesight changed, and the practical impact on your daily life.
• Financial records such as wage slips, invoices and receipts for travel, private treatment or specialist equipment needed as a result of your eye injury.
• Correspondence and complaints, including any formal complaint made to the optician, their practice or the General Optical Council, along with responses you received.

An effective optician negligence claim requires a combination of factual, medical and personal evidence. You will not be expected to collect everything yourself. The JMW team will coordinate much of this process, to build the strongest possible case.

Making a Complaint About an Optician

Before or during your optician negligence claim, you may choose to make a formal complaint. You could receive a formal apology that may clarify what went wrong, and this can also serve as evidence in a compensation claim.

• For private opticians, you should contact the practice directly to follow its internal complaints procedure.
• For NHS-funded eye care, complaints should be sent to the relevant NHS Trust or the integrated care board for your area.
• You can also raise concerns with the General Optical Council, which regulates optometrists and dispensing opticians across the UK.

Making a complaint is separate from the legal claims process, but the documents and responses you receive can be valuable evidence when proving that negligence occurred.

Optician Negligence Claim Time Limits

You generally have three years to make an optician negligence claim. This period is known as the limitation period and usually runs from either:

• The date of the negligent care.
• The date you first became aware that you had suffered injury.

For children, the three-year time limit does not begin until their 18th birthday. If the person affected lacks mental capacity, there is no time limit to bring a claim.

Because calculating limitation periods can be complex, it is always best to act promptly. If you are unsure whether you are still within the time limit to claim, contact JMW as soon as possible to discuss your situation with a specialist medical negligence solicitor.

Starting the Optician Negligence Claims Process

When it comes to making an optician negligence compensation claim, the specialist solicitors at JMW can guide you through the process, which generally involves these key stages:

• Initial consultation: we will discuss your experience, review the details of your case, and explain whether you may be able to make a claim.
• Investigation: if your claim has merit, we will gather medical records, eye test results and independent expert evidence to show how the treatment you received fell below an acceptable standard.
• Submitting the claim: once evidence is complete, we will present your case to the optician, hospital or organisation responsible for your care, outlining how the negligence occurred and the harm it caused.
• Negotiation: if the other party accepts liability, we will negotiate to reach a fair settlement. If they dispute the claim, court proceedings may be necessary to continue pursuing your case.
• Settlement: when an agreement is reached, compensation will be paid to reflect your pain and suffering, loss of earnings, medical expenses and any future care needs arising from your injury.

As your case progresses, your solicitor from the JMW team will stay in regular contact, keeping you informed and supported throughout.