Motor vehicle accidents could lead to blindness

During a car accident, a lot is going on. Metal is crushing, glass is breaking, and people and things are moving. There is a high potential for any number of injuries or even death during a vehicle accident. One surprising fact may be that car accidents are a leading cause of eye injuries.

Getting into a car accident that leads to eye injury can be a severe life-altering incident. After all, your vision is an essential function of your body.

Potential causes of injury

Vehicles have several features that protect us. Glass keeps environmental objects outside the vehicle cabin, and airbags help cushion the blow of a sudden stop. However, during an accident, these items actually have the potential for eye injury. Other risks to vision include:

• Shattered glass
• Deployed airbags
• Head trauma from impact
• Projectile objects

When we think of car accidents, we tend to think of significant injuries such as loss of limb or life. Vision injury, though, may not be so readily apparent in a grotesque scene, but just as serious. Actually, a vision injury from a car accident might not even be noticed until well after the incident.

See a doctor

Because vision trauma may not be so evident following a car accident, it’s essential to see a doctor even if you believe you’re okay. Certain types of eye injuries may not be noticed externally and need to be diagnosed by an optometrist, especially if you’re experiencing:

• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Floaters
• Vision loss

Suppose you’ve been in an accident, especially while on the job. You may wonder who is responsible for medical bills or what happens if you’ve completely lost your vision. In this case, you may want to learn more about workers’ compensation laws to help protect your legal rights during a work-related accident.