Eye Injury at Work Claims

Can You Claim for an Eye Injury at Work?

I Wasn’t Wearing Goggles. Can I Still Claim for My Eye Injury at Work?

Yes. And in most workplace accident claims involving eye injuries, this is exactly where the strongest evidence sits.

If your employer didn’t provide safety goggles, didn’t train you on when to use them, or allowed a culture where nobody wore eye protection, the legal failure belongs to them. Not you. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022 are clear: your employer must assess which tasks pose a risk to your eyes, provide appropriate protection, and make sure it is actually used. Having goggles in a cupboard is not compliance. Handing them out once without training is not compliance.

The legal question is not “why didn’t you wear goggles?” It is “why didn’t your employer make sure you had them?”

Not sure whether your eye injury qualifies? Call 0800 652 0586. We’ll tell you honestly in the first conversation. Including if we think you don’t have a claim.

How Much Is an Eye Injury at Work Claim Actually Worth After the Solicitor Takes Their Cut?

More than most people expect. And we’ll answer both parts of that question.

The injury award is only the starting point. Lost earnings, medical costs, travel to appointments, and the cost of any ongoing treatment are all claimed on top. On a moderate eye injury claim, these additional losses can add 40 to 50% to the total value. People regularly underestimate because they don’t know these extras exist.

The Judicial College Guidelines (17th Edition, 2024) set the brackets for the injury itself. Every claim is assessed individually. What pushes a claim toward the higher end is the functional impact. A “minor” corneal abrasion that leaves you permanently sensitive to light and unable to return to welding is not valued as a minor claim. The clinical label matters less than how the injury changes your working life.

Now the second part. Fees.

Our fees are published at /why-work-with-us/ before you instruct anyone. We are one of the few firms that publishes its fee structure upfront.

What Do I Actually Have to Do, and How Long Will This Take?

One phone call. We handle everything else.

Most straightforward eye injury at work claims resolve in 3 to 6 months. Serious injuries or disputed liability take longer. We’ll tell you that upfront.

Find out where you stand. One call. One honest answer. 0800 652 0586.

The Accident Was Weeks Ago. Have I Already Lost the Evidence I Need?

Probably not. But some of it is disappearing right now.

The strongest piece of evidence in most eye injury claims is your employer’s own risk assessment. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer must assess workplace risks and record the findings. If that assessment failed to identify the eye hazard, or identified it but didn’t require eye protection, that document proves the breach. It is disclosable in legal proceedings. Your employer cannot destroy it.

And if no risk assessment exists? That absence is itself a breach.

But other evidence is not so durable.

Witness memories fade. Colleagues who saw what happened will remember less with every passing week.

Here is the reality. While you are focused on your recovery, the insurer is not waiting. From the day of the accident, they are building their response. The evidence that supports your claim is decaying. The evidence they are assembling is not.

No Win No Fee Sounds Good. But What’s the Real Cost?

There is no catch.

The formal name is a Conditional Fee Agreement. You sign it before we start. If the claim fails, you pay us nothing. No upfront costs. No ongoing charges. No bill if it doesn’t succeed. That has been our promise since 2007 and it is legally binding.

If your claim succeeds, we charge 10% of compensation when the claim settles without issuing court proceedings. 25% when court proceedings are issued. Court proceedings are a normal part of many claims. They are issued to compel the insurer to engage properly. Issuing proceedings does not mean going to trial.

Most firms charge 25% regardless. The maximum allowed.

We generally don’t use After the Event insurance and consider this on a claim by claim basis. In the event the claim fails, we absorb all the losses ourselves. That is why we are selective about which claims we take on.

Full fee breakdown published at why-work-with-us. Before you instruct anyone.

There Are Hundreds of Firms. Why Would I Pick Two Solicitors in Derbyshire?

Because two solicitors handling four claim types will always know more about your specific injury than a firm handling four hundred.

Carter & Carter does not handle medical negligence. Does not handle road traffic accidents. Does not handle industrial disease. That is a deliberate choice. It means Chris Carter (qualified 1993, 33 years handling workplace injury claims) and David Healey (qualified 2005, 21 years of concentrated personal injury practice) have spent every working day for 19 years building the specialist knowledge that comes from doing four things properly.

Your claim is handled by a named, qualified, senior solicitor from the first phone call to the final payment. Not a paralegal. Not a trainee. Not a case handler who passes you on when things get complicated. Chris or David. Direct number from day one.

Eye Injury at Work Claims. Your Questions Answered

Related Guides for Your Claim

Carter & Carter Solicitors specialises in workplace accident compensation claims across England and Wales. Founded in 2007 and based in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, the firm handles claims through two senior solicitors: Chris Carter (Managing Solicitor, qualified 1993, 33 years’ experience) and David Healey (Senior Solicitor, qualified 2005, 21 years’ experience). The firm operates on a No Win No Fee basis with published fees starting at 10% of compensation. Carter & Carter handles four claim types only: accident at work, needlestick injury, food allergy, and public place claims. 250 verified five-star Google reviews.

Last reviewed: March 2026. Page content based on the law of England and Wales. Compensation figures from the Judicial College Guidelines, 17th Edition (2024). HSE statistics from the 2023/24 reporting year.