Personal Injury Lawyers > Personal Injury Blog > Catastrophic Injuries > Study Looks at Treatment for Accident-Related Blinding Injuries

Personal Injury Blog

Study Looks at Treatment for Accident-Related Blinding Injuries

Trauma-related eye injuries in an accident can lead to vision loss.  Researchers at a Georgia university are now looking at treatment for traumatic optic nerve damage to prevent blindness.

Researchers at the Georgia Health Sciences University are looking at ways to help the optic nerve recover quicker from traumatic injury in an accident.  The optic nerve is a fragile nerve that is attached to the back of the eye.  When this nerve is shaken violently during impact, it can result in swelling and inflammation.  The injury can be serious enough to destroy the retinal ganglion nerves, and this can cause vision loss.  The optic nerve can withstand some amount of movement of the head or eyes.  However, during an accident, head trauma can cause inflammation and swelling.

Unfortunately, there has been little research conducted into the treatment of eye injuries related to trauma in an accident.  These injuries are very similar to traumatic brain injuries, in that patients may have limited options for complete recovery. Los Angeles personal injury lawyers often see that victims with a traumatic nerve injury end up with  permanent vision loss or blindness.

Typically, a patient with an accident-related eye injury is given a dose of steroids in order to minimize the extent of damage to the nerve.  The researchers however, are looking at boosting the nerve’s recovery in the event of an injury, by enhancing its natural self-defense mechanism.  Whenever there’s a nerve injury, the immune system sends cytokines to the site of the injury to eliminate the injured cells.  Simultaneously, the nerve injury also produces adenosine that can help fight inflammation.  However, when there is inflammation of the nerve, an enzyme that is necessary to synthesize adenosine is in danger of destruction.  The researchers are looking at strengthening the adenosione so it can fight inflammation better.

Studies have been performed on a mouse whose optic nerve had been genetically alerted to reflect exposure to UV light.  When the ganglion nerves are healthy, they are suffused with UV light, and when they are injured, they become dull, shutting off altogether when the nerve is dead.  The researchers will inject an agonist into the eye to see how it helps the recovery of traumatic optic nerve injury.

A person who suffers an eye injury in an accident is looking at a diminished capacity to earn a living and perform routine activities.  A person with even partial blindness may be unable to return to his job, leading to severe financial strain.  Persons who suffer an injury like this may be eligible for compensation for current and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and additional validation, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and lost future wages as a result of the injury.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of accidents that caused blinding. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire to discuss a personal injury matter,  you can reach us at (213) 290-5033 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

---