In the aftermath of an accident or episode of medical negligence, claimants need prompt and easy...
If you have lost vision or suffered an eye injury after surgery, a misdiagnosis or a delay in treatment, our clinical negligence solicitors can investigate. Free initial consultation, no obligation, no win, no fee available.
If your vision has deteriorated after eye surgery, or because an eye condition was not diagnosed or treated in time, you may be entitled to compensation. That covers the injury itself and its practical consequences, including the effect on your ability to work.
We act for claimants across the UK in claims against NHS trusts, private eye clinics, optometrists and GPs. Call 01689 887801 or request a callback, and our team of experienced medical negligence solicitors will get back to you.
Do I have an eye injury negligence claim?
You may have a claim if your eye care fell below the standard of a responsible body of professional opinion and that failure caused harm to your vision that competent care would have avoided.
Not every disappointing outcome after eye treatment is negligence. You should have been told of the material risks before you agreed to treatment, and of any reasonable alternative.
Where a condition was diagnosed late, the question is not simply whether there was a delay. It is what difference earlier treatment would have made. That is why an independent ophthalmology expert must review the records before anyone can tell you whether you have a claim.
Types of eye negligence claim we handle
Eye surgery negligence
NICE describes cataract surgery as the most common operation performed in the NHS, with a high success rate in improving visual function. Claims nonetheless arise from surgical error, from complications not recognised or managed, and from a failure to warn of material risks. We also act in claims arising from retinal surgery, glaucoma surgery, corneal procedures and refractive laser surgery.
Delayed diagnosis and delayed follow-up
Claims arising from a failure to diagnose, or a failure to bring a patient back in time.
Delayed follow-up in hospital eye services has been identified as a national safety problem. In a national investigation report published on 9 January 2020, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, now the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, cited British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit research finding that up to 22 patients a month suffer severe or permanent sight loss because of delays in glaucoma monitoring. The underlying research dates from 2017.
Glaucoma claims
Failure to diagnose, failure to monitor at appropriate intervals, and failure to escalate treatment. NICE sets out how glaucoma should be diagnosed and monitored and how care should be organised, and those recommendations are the usual reference point for expert evidence on the standard of care.
Retinal detachment claims
Failure to refer when a referral was indicated. Whether earlier referral would have changed the outcome is a matter for expert evidence in each case.
Diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration claims
Failure to screen, to monitor or to treat, and delays in commencing or continuing treatment.
Optometrist and high street eye test claims
Failure to detect signs of disease at a routine sight test, or failure to refer when a referral was indicated.
Eye injuries at work and in accidents
Where the injury was caused by an accident rather than by treatment, such as chemical splashes, flying debris or inadequate eye protection, the claim is a personal injury claim rather than a clinical negligence claim, and our team of personal injury solicitors deals with it.
How much compensation could I claim for an eye injury?
Compensation is made up of two parts.
General damages compensate for the injury itself: pain, suffering and loss of amenity. The assessment turns on how much vision was lost, whether one eye or both are affected, and what could have been preserved with competent care. That last point is critical: the award reflects the difference the negligence made, not the whole of your visual impairment where some of it was unavoidable.
Special damages compensate the financial consequences, known as the heads of loss:
loss of earnings where you can no longer do your job, and future loss where a change of career is necessary
transport costs where you are no longer able to drive
care and assistance, including help given unpaid by family
low vision aids, magnification, screen-reading technology and adaptations at home
retraining, mobility training and rehabilitation
treatment not available promptly on the NHS
travel to appointments
We will tell you which of these apply to you at the first conversation and make sure each is evidenced. We will not put a figure on the claim before the expert evidence exists.
How an eye injury claim works
Free initial consultation. No charge and no obligation, to establish what happened and whether investigation is worthwhile.
Records. Your hospital eye service records, optometrist records, GP records, imaging and clinic letters, together with any incident investigation the trust has carried out.
Independent expert evidence. An ophthalmologist on whether the care met the proper standard and on what difference competent care would have made, and often a second expert on the extent of the visual loss.
Letter of claim. The claim is set out formally in accordance with the pre-action protocol, the procedure the courts expect before proceedings are issued, and the defendant has a defined period to respond.
Negotiation. Most claims settle without formal legal proceedings: NHS Resolution reported that 84% of clinical negligence claims were resolved without them in 2025/26.
Proceedings, if needed. Where a fair resolution cannot be reached.
Eye injury claim time limits
Under the Limitation Act 1980, the general limit is three years from the negligence or, if later, from the date you first knew you had a significant injury and that it was attributable to the treatment you received.
In eye claims the date of knowledge is frequently the operative date, because a change in vision is often put down to the underlying condition until a later appointment or a second opinion. If you have only recently been told that your sight loss might have been avoidable, do not assume you are out of time.
For a child the three years runs from their eighteenth birthday. Where a patient lacks capacity to conduct proceedings, time does not run while that continues. Where a patient has died, a claim is generally brought within three years of the death or of the personal representative’s date of knowledge.
No win, no fee: funding an eye injury claim
Most eye negligence claims are funded by a conditional fee agreement, known as no win, no fee. Nothing is payable upfront, and if the claim does not succeed, you do not pay our fees.
If it succeeds, most of our costs are recovered from the defendant, and a success fee comes out of your compensation. By law that success fee cannot exceed 25% of your damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity and your past financial losses, after any benefits repayable to the Compensation Recovery Unit have been taken off. That cap applies however the claim ends, and the fee is never taken from compensation for future losses. You would also be responsible for disbursements such as expert and court fees, and for any costs order made against you. That is what after the event insurance is for: a policy taken out after the problem has arisen, which covers those liabilities if the claim does not succeed. We will set out all of it in writing before you sign anything.
Also worth checking: legal expenses insurance, often included with home or motor insurance, which can mean no deduction from your damages; and after the event insurance, whose premium relating to expert reports can be recoverable in clinical negligence.
Frequently asked questions about eye injury claims
Am I eligible to claim for an eye injury?
If your vision was harmed by eye care that fell below the proper standard, you may be. The time limit is usually three years, but it does not always run from the treatment. The records need reviewing and an ophthalmology expert instructed before anyone can say for certain. The first conversation costs nothing.
Can I claim if I signed a consent form before eye surgery?
A signed form is not a waiver, so a claim is not ruled out. The question is whether you were told of the material risks and of any reasonable alternative, and whether you had a real opportunity to consider them. What counts as a reasonable alternative is a matter of professional judgement.
Can I claim if my sight loss was partly caused by my underlying condition?
You may be. The claim is for the additional loss caused by the negligence: the difference between where you are and where competent care would have left you.
How long will an eye injury claim take?
The time needed to obtain records and independent expert evidence on both breach of duty and causation drives the timetable, and where the medical picture is still developing it takes longer. We will give you a realistic timetable for your own case once we have the records.
How much compensation will I receive for an eye injury?
There is no standard figure. It depends on how much vision was lost, whether that loss was avoidable, and what the financial consequences are for you. We will explain which heads of loss apply once the medical evidence is available.
Can I claim against a high street optician?
You may be able to. Optometrists owe their patients a duty of care, and a claim arising from a missed sign at a routine sight test is brought against the optometrist or the practice and whoever provides their professional indemnity cover.
Can I claim for private laser eye surgery?
You may be able to. The legal test is the same. The claim is against the surgeon or the clinic and their insurer, and because you paid for the treatment, the contract may give you additional rights.
Start your eye injury claim. Speak to our team
If you have lost vision and you want to know whether it could have been avoided, tell us what happened. We will tell you whether we think it is worth investigating.
Our clinical negligence team is led by Alex Wormald, a partner ranked by Chambers and Partners, and our medical negligence solicitors are on the panel of Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA). Our case studies show the kinds of claims we take on.
Call 01689 887801 or request a callback. The first conversation is free, confidential and carries no obligation.