If you are involved in a serious collision, one of the things that could occur is that you could have your brain or eyes injured. When that happens, there is a potential that you could temporarily or permanently lose your sight or have it altered.
There are two main reasons why a victim of a crash would lose their sight. One is trauma to the visual cortex of the brain, and the other is direct damage to the face and eyes.
Damage to the visual cortex
An injury to the back of the head has the potential to lead to damage to the visual cortex. The visual cortex processes visual information, so if this area of the brain is injured, a victim may not process information correctly. Their vision may be blurred, upside down or even blinded completely.
Damage to the eyes
A collision also creates a risk of direct damage to your eyes. You may damage them by hitting your face on the wheel or due to a penetrating injury from something you were holding at the time of the collision. Damage to your eyes can also occur due to the force of the crash. Sudden whipping motions have the potential to cause retinal detachment, which may damage the eye and require surgical repair.
In either case of damage to the brain or eyes, it’s necessary to let the emergency team know that you are having trouble with your vision. Then, seek immediate medical care. Both brain injuries and eye injuries are able to be treated, but the success of those treatments will depend on how quickly you get treatment and how severe those injuries were to begin with.
What should you do if you’re temporarily or permanently blinded in a collision?
Whether you are temporarily or permanently blinded in a collision, it is important for you to start a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver as soon as you can. Doing so will make it possible for you to fight for compensation that will cover necessities and financial losses such as lost wages, future surgeries and support learning to live with a disability.