Corneal Abrasion Compensation Claims & Settlement Values

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The cornea is the transparent layer of tissue that forms the front of the eye. When injured, it can limit vision and be very painful. Any person who has suffered damage to the cornea as a result of the negligence of another person, business or organisation, has the right to make a no win no fee corneal abrasion claim.

Table of contents:

Causes of corneal abrasion injury

Corneal abrasions are commonly caused by foreign objects entering the eye and scratching the surface of the cornea, for example:

  • Chemical burns to the eye as a result of exposure to substances hazardous to health in the workplace or chemical cleaning product faults
  • Debris such as metal particles entering the eye in workplaces where machinery is not fitted with adequate safety guards, or where the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has not been provided by the employer
  • Foreign objects entering the eye in a road traffic accident
  • Optician negligence
  • Sporting incidents

The symptoms

The most common symptom of a corneal abrasion injury is the feeling of a sharp scratch in the eye when blinking. Many of our claimants report a feeling as if grit or sand is within the eye, which can become increasingly irritated until medical attention has been sought. Other symptoms include:

  • Redness and swelling to the eye area
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Blood visible within the eye
  • Pain and increased irritation when opening the eye
  • Watering of the eye
  • Blurred and double vision
  • Headaches and dizziness

In many cases, the foreign object causing the corneal abrasion can be seen and will need to be removed, either in hospital or by use of an eye irrigation product found within first aid kits.

Compensation amounts for eye injuries

The level of compensation you can expect for a corneal abrasion will depend on the extent it affects your sight. Total blindness in both eyes, for example, can see settlements of over £200,000. For minor eye injuries, where there is no long-term damage to sight, the amount would likely be between £2,000 and £10,000.

The following is a guide to compensation amounts for eye injuries based on their severity. These amounts are for the injury itself, but you can also claim for special damages, which can include your expenses and rehabilitation therapies, for example. Once your specialist solicitor has obtained your medical report they will be able to give you an idea of how much compensation to expect.

Severity of injuryCompensation amount
Total blindness£252k
Loss of sight in one eye with reduced vision in the other eye£60k - £169k
Total loss of one eye£51k - £62k
Complete loss of sight in one eye£46k - £51k
Serious, but incomplete loss of vision in one eye£22k - £37k
Minor but permanent impairment of vision in one eye£9k - £20k
Minor eye injuries, e.g being struck in the eye, exposure to fumes, smoke or liquid causing pain and temporary interference with vision£4k - £8k
Transient eye injuries with recovery within a few weeks£2k - £4k

Who can claim corneal abrasion injury compensation?

Any person who has suffered damage to the cornea as a result of the negligence of another person, business or organisation, has the right to make a no win no fee claim for compensation.

Injuries suffered at work

Many corneal abrasion injuries are as a result of an accident at work. Particularly at risk are those working within the manufacturing sector, construction or outdoor work such as tree surgery, farming and gardening.

If workers are not afforded the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as goggles, or if the machinery that they are tasked with using does not have the correct safety guard fitted, foreign objects such as a shard of metal, a splinter of wood, dust or similar can easily enter the eye.

All employers have a duty of care to ensure that staff at risk of corneal abrasion injury are adequately trained with regards to the correct use of machinery and protective equipment. Any employer who has failed in this duty of care, and therefore failed to minimise the risk of injury to their workers, may face a claim for corneal abrasion injury compensation.

Injuries in public or on the road

Corneal abrasion injuries can also be sustained in road traffic accidents when broken glass or other foreign objects enter the eye. Similarly, by pedestrians walking past construction sites that are not adequately cordoned off with protection from dust or debris.

What you need for a successful claim

To give your claim for corneal abrasion compensation the best prospect of success, it is important to make sure that the details of the injury and cause are recorded correctly with the right people.

In cases of an accident at work, the details should be recorded in the employer’s accident book, noting any lack of protective eye wear or inadequate safety guards.

If your corneal abrasion injury was sustained anywhere other than your workplace, you should ensure that the details are recorded with the organisation responsible for the location you were in.

In addition, you should seek medical attention so that evidence will be available to support your claim.

Don’t worry if you haven’t been able to do all of this yet, just contact us at the earliest opportunity and we’ll be able to help.

What to do next

With Direct2Compensation, starting your claim for corneal abrasion injury compensation couldn’t be easier.

We appreciate that you may have questions about the claims process and will be concerned as to how a claim could affect your relationship with your employer. We’ll be able to put your mind at rest about these and any other queries in simple, layman’s terms.

Our specialist team understand your rights, and we’ll only need a couple of minutes of your time to ascertain whether or not the cause of your corneal abrasion injury will merit a successful claim for compensation.

Simply call our offices on 01225 430285 or we can .

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Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus corneal abrasion claim examples...

I work for a soft drink manufacturer and whilst fixing a conveyor jam one of the cans exploded and sprayed my face with the contents. Initially I thought the irritation was caused by the liquid but after multiple hospital visits it been confirm a part of the can has cut my eye ball and the liquid has then burnt my cornea. I have been left with a corneal scar and severe blurred vision. My company issued safety glasses and tool box talk as a result. Surprisingly to me my H&S team didn’t do much of an investigation and have to yet follow up with me. My issue is I am still in my probation period and have concerns about claiming for the injury. The latest information from my ophthalmologist is that I will need glasses permanently going forward and my sight will deteriorate at a quicker rate now

Ian Morris

Having concerns about making a claim against an employer after an accident at work is a very commonly shared worry. It is understandable that someone who has been injured at work will feel vulnerable and anxious about their relationship with their employer if they then pursue a claim. However, this anxiety and worry is misplaced. Whether you make a claim or not should have no impact on your employment rights and there is a legal right to make a legitimate claim after an accident that has caused injury. Any claim in this scenario would be against the mandatory insurance cover that the employer has to have, rather than the business or any employee directly. It is also worth noting that in the vast majority of cases, the people that you work with day-to-day would not even know if you had made a claim.

Clearly, your injury is a serious and essentially a permanent injury. Your eyesight will forever be impacted by the incident and you will need potentially expensive glasses and eye care for the rest of your life. A successful claim settlement would take all of this in to account – including considering whether basic functions that could have a massive impact on your life in the future – such as whether you will always be able to drive, will you lose vision in one eye etc – to ensure that you are appropriately compensated.

It would seem that the employer has taken action as a result of your accident that may reduce or prevent a risk of a repeat of this incident happening to someone else. However, the safety steps and training that they have implemented since your accident should have happened BEFORE you were injured.

For a no obligation conversation with us where you can find out more about your rights and how making a claim works, please call us on 01225432085 or you can request a call from us via our website.

Reply

Hi – I suffered a corneal abrasion in March 2015 whilst engaging as a volunteer at Liverpool Cathedral.

I reported the matter to the cathedral and attended the St Paul’s A&E unit of Liverpool Royal Hospital on 3 separate occasions as a result of this injury. I have official documentation from the hospital to support this.

I have suffered regular mini flare ups of pain and discomfort arising from this condition since and as recently as today at a branch of Specsavers the injury is still apparent by opticians using professionally calibrated equipment.

At the time of the injury I had no idea that it may cause long term suffering so didn’t pursue a claim for the injury.

The injury was reported at the highest levels at the cathedral who contacted me to enquire as to my wellbeing.

Ian Morris

It is not uncommon for what can initially appear to be a relatively short term injury to then become a longer term, more chronic problem – as has happened with your eye injury.

Unfortunately, as you did not make a claim within 3 years of the injury – notwithstanding the fact that you were not aware of the long term consequences of the injury – you are now unable to take any action or make a claim for compensation.

Reply

I have suffered a corneal abrasion which has now lead onto a corneal erosion. I have been off work for 3 weeks with very limited sight in my right eye.

Ian Morris

How did the injury to your eye happen? If you can provide an explanation as to how your cornea was injured in the first place, we can advise about any potential claim for compensation.

Reply

Hi – hope you are well. I had damage to my cornea caused this week by Max Factor mascara of all things. I had to go to the eye hospital on my first day of a new job. They had to sweep the eye twice to get rid of it – small fragments of dried mascara. Is this something you’d look at? Thanks Saskia

Ian Morris

As you have been injured, it is certainly something we would be happy to look in to for you.

Reply

Hi couple of months ago I was working in a busy yard when a foreign object (possibly wood shards or metal) hit my eye damaging my cornea, I was taken to the hosiptal to be checked over and was given eye drops and anti inflammatorys to calm the pain, now the cut and foreign object has been removed I still find my eye is a little blurry in that particular area do I have grounds to get compensation? Thanks

Ian Morris

Depending on the nature of your work and the kind of risks you faced, your employer will have certain obligations to ensure that your health and safety is protected as far as possible.

It would appear that you were working in an area where the risks of injury such as that you have sustained is present. As such, the employer should have ensured that you were provided with or required to wear the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Any employee working in an area of risk that has not been provided with the correct PPE by their employer and then sustains injury as a result has a right to make a claim for compensation against the employer. The situation you describe could well indicate that you can make a claim for compensation.

Damage to the eyes in an accident at work can have serious implications and any risk to eyesight can see successful compensation claims settle at a substantial value.

Reply

I was working on a construction site as a ground worker next to diggers and dumper trucks when dust was blown into my right eye. A piece of metal penetrated the right eye, which was removed at the hospital. Now three months later I’ve been to the opticians as my eye sight has been affected. There is scarring on the eye which is affecting my vision. According to my optician it will always affect my vision and has referred me back to the hospital for further tests.
There was inadequate dust suppression. Safety glasses were being worn but didn’t stop metal penetrating my eye ball.

Ian Morris

Whilst the employer has provided eye protection in the form of safety glasses, there could still be a claim to pursue in this matter as there is an argument to be made that the level of dust required further suppression and due to the lack of that, they have placed you at an undue risk of injury.

Reply
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