I Have Blurred Vision After a Cleveland, Ohio Car Crash. Do I Have a Brain Injury?

If you are experiencing blurry vision after a car accident, you should seek immediate medical treatment. Blurred vision could indicate a brain, spinal cord or neck injury. You may also have a detached retina. Waiting to seek treatment could allow your injuries to worsen and become more difficult to treat.

Friedman, Domiano and Smith explain the common causes of blurry vision after a car crash, other symptoms you may experience, and how blurred vision is diagnosed and treated.

If your crash was caused by a negligent driver, our experienced attorneys may be able to assist you in seeking compensation for damages. Our Cleveland-based car accident lawyers have a proven history of recovering compensation and there are no upfront costs with our services.

Blurred Vision Could Be a Sign of the Following Car Crash Injuries

There are many reasons why injured victims may experience blurry vision after a car crash. It could mean an eye injury, but blurred vision and other visual impairments often indicate another injury has occurred.

If you are seeing double, you need to go to the doctor right away. You may have one of the injuries listed below. Waiting to seek treatment can prolong your recovery.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

If a car accident caused you to suffer a concussion, you might experience blurry vision. Things may look hazy, and you may have trouble focusing. These visual issues could happen right after the crash or weeks to months later.

A brain injury could damage the nerves controlling eye movement, impairing the ability of your eyes to work together. This could cause you to experience blurry vision and headaches because your eyes are fatigued. This is also called binocular vision disorder.

Car accidents can also cause amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, and strabismus, also known as crossed eyes. The force of impact can damage your brain and your eyes, pushing them out of alignment.

Other symptoms that may accompany your blurry vision include difficulty looking at patterns, motion, bright lights or glare. For example, it may seem like words or numbers are moving when you look at them. Sitting in front of a computer screen may be tough because it is hard to read the screen. Your eyes may also have trouble tracking movement.

Detached Retina

Blurry vision could be a symptom of a detached retina. The retina may move or detach because of the impact of a car crash. When this happens, the affected eye is not going to get the blood and oxygen it requires.

If you experience burry vision, flashes of light, impairment of peripheral vision, floaters or shadows in your vision, you may have a detached retina. You need to get treatment right away to prevent permanent visual impairment.

You might not experience symptoms of a detached retina right after the crash. It could take a few days or even weeks before the retina detaches.

Whiplash

You may wonder how a neck injury like whiplash can affect your vision. If the injury is severe enough, your spine could get knocked out of alignment. This may result in nerve damage and these nerves might be connected to your eyes. So in addition to the pain in your neck, you may experience blurry vision and headaches.

Diagnosing and Treating Blurred Vision After a Crash

When you go to the doctor, he or she is likely to order an imaging test like a CT scan or MRI to diagnose your injuries. Doctors may also conduct neurological testing to determine if you have a traumatic brain injury.

Sometimes going to the chiropractor may help to treat your blurred vision. For example, if your spine moved out of alignment and is pinching a nerve, a chiropractor may be able to move your spine back into place and relieve pressure on nerves.

You may also need to see a neuro-optometrist to diagnose your visual issues. These doctors evaluate eye movement, visual sharpness, ability to see color and visual field.

Neuro-optometrists can create a treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your visual problems. Patients often do visual rehabilitation exercises to help improve eye coordination and movement and train the brain to better process visual information.

Including Blurred Vision in a Claim For Compensation

Liable car insurance companies may try to dispute that your blurry vision has anything to do with the car crash, especially if you had vision problems beforehand. You might think this is preposterous, but insurance companies will use any excuse they can think of to try to deny or underpay your claim. They may say your vision problems mean you need to update your prescription for eyeglasses or contacts.

However, you can include your blurry vision and other visual symptoms in a claim for compensation. You will need detailed evidence connecting your blurred vision to an injury you suffered in the crash. It is also important to seek treatment right away, because if you delay treatment, it makes it easier for the insurance company to dispute the cause of your injuries.

Injured in a Cleveland Car Crash? Call Friedman, Domiano and Smith

You might not think you need to hire a lawyer after a car crash that was not your fault. However, what if the insurance company denies your claim or does not offer enough to cover your medical bills? This happens more often than you may realize, and our experienced lawyers know how to fight for your interests.