When driving along Florida’s streets, roadways and freeways, you may find yourself distracted by all the beautiful scenery our state has to offer. You should always remember, however, that your life and those of your passengers depend on your ability to drive defensively and avoid accidents.
Car crashes can result in serious and even catastrophic injuries. Partial or total blindness represents one of the most catastrophic and life-changing injuries that you could receive. Unfortunately, the National Federation of the Blind reports that upwards of 25,000 people receive car crash head traumas each year that render them blind.
Immediate symptoms
Should you receive some sort of an eye injury in your crash, you likely will notice one or more of the following symptoms:
- A “gray curtain” that covers your field of vision
- Floaters in one or both eyes
- Tunnel vision resulting from peripheral vision loss
- Flashes of light in one or both eyes that make it difficult for you to see and often cause severe headaches
You should take any of these symptoms very seriously and seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Retinal detachment
While you can receive any number of specific eye injuries in a car crash, the most common one is that of retinal detachment. This occurs when your retina, the delicate tissues at the back of your eyes, tears away from your optic nerves. This, in turn, interrupts the pathway that light signals take to your brain, resulting in your partial or total blindness.
The good news is that, if treated immediately, retinal detachment need not permanently blind you. A skilled ophthalmic surgeon can perform one of the following procedures on you and likely save your vision:
- Laser surgery
- Scleral buckle
- Cryopexy
- Pneumatic retinopexy
Whatever procedure your surgeon says that you need, it must take place more or less immediately. If you do not undergo it within 24 hours of receiving your eye injury, you face a high risk of total and permanent blindness.