If one of your senses has been impacted during a personal injury, True Solicitors may be able to help.

Damaged sight and eye injury claims

Damage to your sight and eyes can severely impact everyday life. Eye injuries can come from direct trauma to your eyes or face, trauma to the head, or from a substance or contamination such as cleaning products in your eyes.

The disturbance to your vision may leave you with partial or full blindness in one or both eyes which may be temporary or permanent.

Types of eye injuries

Trauma to the eye can vary from minor discomfort to permanent blindness. The most common types of eye damage include:

• Blurred vision
• Temporary blindness
• Permanent blindness
• Vision that deteriorates over time
• Eye pain

Causes of eye injury claims

You may have suffered sight and eye damage due to:

• An assault
• A road traffic accident
• Head trauma
• Chemical contamination
• Debris
• Sharp objects
• Electrical shock
• Medical negligence
• Laser eye surgery

Impacts of eye injuries

The effects of sight and eye damage can be devastating. Common effects include:

• Pain and discomfort.
• Temporary sight loss – causing inconvenience and loss of earnings due to needing to take time off work to recover.
• Permanent sight loss – If your sight loss is permanent, then you will have to adapt and this may include learning Braille, making alterations to your home e.g. installing handrails etc., and perhaps learning to use a guide dog.

It is likely you will not be able to continue in your present occupation and you may need to consider a different career which may involve re-training. You will not be able to drive and will be reliant on other people or public transport.

Damaged hearing loss claims

Damage to your inner ear and hearing can have a major impact on your daily life. These injuries can come from direct trauma to your ears or face, trauma to the head general, or in any accident resulting in an acoustic shock including road traffic accidents.

Injuries to your ears may leave you with damage to your hearing in one or both ears or tinnitus (ringing or buzzing most noticeable when it is quiet) which can be temporary or permanent.

Tinnitus can severely impact your life, keeping you awake at night, stopping you from enjoying music, TV or the cinema and even breaking your concentration.

Injuries to hearing can vary from minor discomfort and nuisance to permanent deafness or persistent loud tinnitus.

Symptoms of hearing loss

The most common types of symptoms include:

• Loss of hearing
• Constant ringing or buzzing in one or both ears
• Effects on speech
• Disrupted balance

 Causes of hearing injuries

You may have suffered hearing damage due to:

• A road traffic accident – particularly if the airbags go off.
• A blow to the head.
• An infection.
• Dust/debris/sharp objects entering the ear canal.
• Prolonged exposure to loud noise at work.
• An assault.

Effects of hearing loss injuries

The effects of hearing loss can be significant. Common effects include:

• Pain and discomfort in your ears.
• Temporary disruption to hearing – causing inconvenience and loss of earnings due to needing to take time off work to adjust.
• Permanent hearing loss or tinnitus – you will have to adapt; this may include having to wear hearing aids, have surgical implants, or use tinnitus masking devices.

Sense of smell and taste damage

Damage to your sense of smell or taste can result from inhaling gas or dust, accidents or an infection. These symptoms are fortunately rare but can follow from a brain injury, work or road traffic accident.

The injuries can leave you without a sense of smell, which will almost always impact your sense of taste which can leave you unable to smell burning and the danger that comes from that at home and work, unable to enjoy food. The loss of smell can be temporary or permanent.