If you have a car accident, you may expect to have some soreness for a few days or weeks. In serious crashes, you even may expect to break bones or damage your internal organs. Still, a collision may leave you vulnerable to a catastrophic eye injury.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there are two types of eye removal you may undergo after sustaining an eye injury: enucleation and evisceration. Unfortunately, trauma is a leading reason doctors perform both procedures.
Your eye injury
Your car probably has hundreds of safety features, ranging from airbags and seat belts to crumple zones and antilock brakes. While these safety features undoubtedly reduce your chances of suffering an eye injury, they do not eliminate them.
During a car accident, your car’s deployed airbag may damage one or both of your eyes. Hitting your head on the steering wheel or anything else may have the same effect. Moreover, your eyes are vulnerable to injury from flying debris during an accident.
Your eye surgery
If doctors decide to remove one or both of your eyes, you are likely to have suffered a catastrophic injury. Your recovery time, though, depends on the type of surgery you have. Because it involves the removal of surrounding bones instead of just your eye, enucleation is considerably more invasive.
The removal of your eye is likely to leave you with partial or total vision loss. This means you must undergo extensive rehabilitation. Ultimately, by pursuing financial compensation from the driver who caused the accident, you have the resources you need to obtain the top-level care you deserve.
