Long-Term Disability Due to Vision Loss at Work
Workplace accidents and dangerous exposures can take many different forms, and they can result in various types of physical harm. Accidents and hazardous exposures — whether sudden and traumatic or occurring over the long term — that cause injury to a worker’s eyes can be especially debilitating. According to a report from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, about 20,000 work-related eye injuries are reported every year, ranging from “simple eye strain to severe trauma that can cause permanent eye damage or vision loss.”
What should you know about occupational vision loss? And what options may be available for seeking compensation if you do suffer occupational vision loss? Our Maryland workers’ compensation and long-term disability lawyer can provide you with more information.
Learning More About Workplace Eye Injuries and Occupational Vision Loss
While the American Academy of Ophthalmology emphasizes that “eye injuries at work are alarmingly common,” most of them are preventable when workers are provided with protective eyewear for the job, such as safety glasses with side shields, goggles, or specially designed face shields or helmets. The appropriate form of protective eyewear depends on the type of job duty and what types of eye injury risks exist. Common hazards include but are not limited to the following:
- Shards of wood, metal, and glass that fly into the eyes and face;
- Tools that slip or malfunction and cause facial trauma;
- Small particles such as splinters or shavings of metal or wood, or crystalline silica;
- Chemical splatters; and
- Radiation.
These types of hazards exist in many different types of jobs, such as:
- Construction work;
- Carpentry;
- Welding;
- Hospital work;
- Custodial work; and
- General maintenance work.
Seeking Compensation After a Workplace Eye Injury or Occupational Vision Loss
For an eye injury that requires treatment and time away from work to recover, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits that can pay for medical care and provide wage-replacement benefits.
When occupational vision loss results in the total loss of one or both eyes, you may be eligible for additional disability benefits. Under Maryland law, the complete loss of one or both eyes can result in disability payments for 250 weeks for one eye, and double for both eyes. Partial vision loss can also result in disability benefits.
Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation and Long-Term Disability Attorney for Assistance with Your Vision Loss Claim
Occupational vision loss can be debilitating, and it can result in permanent and total disabilities depending on the severity of the vision loss. If you suffered an eye injury in a recent workplace accident or exposure, or if you were diagnosed with occupational vision loss due to long-term exposures at your job, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. In addition, if you have experienced the total loss of one or both eyes due to a workplace accident or exposure, you could be eligible to receive long-term disability as we discussed above. One of the experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC can discuss the details of your case with you today and can help you obtain the benefits you need.
Sources:
aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/injuries-work
mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gle§ion=9-627&enactments=false
