New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Lawyer for Eye Injury

Trusted Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Help Clients Get Fair Benefits for Workplace Eye Injuries in New Jersey

An eye injury can be devastating regardless of your occupation.  Impaired vision or vision loss not only impacts your ability to work, but also creates challenges in every aspect of your life.  If your eye injury happened at work, you may be entitled to benefits under New Jersey’s Workers’ Compensation system for medical expenses, wage replacement, and an additional monetary award if the injury fails to return your eye to 100% full function.

At Team Law, our eye injury lawyers work tirelessly to get justice for victims of workplace accidents and injuries.  We give you our full attention so that we can craft the custom-tailored strategy needed to successfully and quickly recover the maximum available compensation in your case.  With over 60 years’ experience, we know the system and the rules and will guide you through every step of the process.

The eye is an extremely delicate region.  Because of the sensitive nature of the eye, even a seemingly minor injury can impair your vision.  At Team Law, our number one priority is getting you the financial and medical support you need.  To learn more about our lawyers and our experience, call or contact our office for a free case review today.

Types of Workplace Eye Injury Cases

Employees who work in certain occupations routinely wear eye protection to prevent eye injuries.  Even when construction workers, machine workers, metal workers, chemists and auto mechanics take precautions, they are often insufficient to fully protect the eye from all hazards.  Sometimes, workers are not even supplied with the proper eye protection they need to prevent injury.

Eye injuries at work can be caused by any number of accidents.  Examples of workplace factors that can cause eye injury include:

• Accidents involving tools or sharp objects, including nails and wires
• Contact with flying particles or debris in the air, including woodchips, metallic particles, staples or other rough materials
• Contact with dangerous chemicals or fumes in the workplace
• Lack of appropriate eye protection
• Trauma to the face caused by a car accident, construction vehicle accident or accident involving heavy machinery or equipment
• Exposure to extreme heat or radiation

Eye injury victims should immediately report the accident to their supervisor in the event of an accident that causes an injury to your eye. The Workers’ Compensation insurance carrier will provide you with an authorized physician to treat your eye injury, and you can of course seek immediate medical treatment for an eye injury if the need for treatment is an emergency.

Signs that you may have sustained an eye injury include:

• Blurred vision
• Bloodshot eyes
• Pain or bleeding from the eye
• Discoloration in the eye
• Your eye does not dilate properly when exposed to light
• You notice damage to the eyelid or surrounding region
• You notice difficulty focusing on objects
• Sensitivity to light

Calculating Workers’ Compensation Benefits for an Eye Injury in NJ

Eye injuries are not always permanent.  However, even with treatment, your vision may be compromised for a period of time—leaving you unable to work.  Under New Jersey Workers’ Compensation law, employees who are injured on the job are entitled to receive benefits to cover:

• Medical expenses
• Temporary disability benefits equal to 70% of your average weekly wages if the doctor keeps you out of work for at least 8 days
• Permanent partial or total disability benefits if your eye fails to regain 100% function after all of the treatment is complete
• Death and dependency benefits in the event you suffer a fatal injury

You are entitled to receive compensation to treat your eye injury regardless of how long you have to be away from work.  For some work-related eye injuries, your eye doctor may be able to prescribe medication, treat the injury and have you back at work in a few days.  If you are out of work for more than eight days, you are also entitled to receive wage replacement benefits for the full amount of time you are out of work, at the rate of 70% of your average weekly wages.

When it comes to work-related eye injuries that cause permanent vision loss, Workers’ Compensation bases benefits on a fee schedule.  The exact amount of Workers’ Compensation you can receive for an eye injury depends upon:

• The percentage of vision loss or structural damage you suffered, and
• Your average weekly wages before the accident 

This benefit, called a schedule loss (SLU) of use award, is paid in addition to the medical and replacement pay benefits you are entitled to receive.  Because it is necessary to first determine the percentage of your vision loss, complications and challenges often arise in getting fair benefits.  Our lawyers are here to help.

At Team Law, our eye injury lawyers will work closely with you to determine the full amount of benefits you should receive for your eye injury.  We work with vision care experts to determine your level of impairment to make sure the insurance company does not try to reduce your award.  To learn more about how we can help, call our office today.

Contact our Trusted Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Team Law for a Free Case Review Today

Although financial compensation can never make up for permanent damage to the eye or vision loss, you are entitled to receive it under New Jersey law.  To learn more about how the Workers’ Compensation lawyers at Team Law will work to get the full benefits you deserve for your eye injury, call for a free case review today.  You can also use our online contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions About Workers’ Compensation for Eye Injury Victims