After you’ve contacted us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss your case and whether you have a legal claim. We’ll discuss what funding options are available to you to pay for your claim, including No Win No Fee agreements*.
We’ll then get in touch with those responsible for your misdiagnosis at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for your illness. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments which can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses, before your claim fully settles. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award.
Our experts will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals. These experts evaluate what care you should have received and can determine any future implications to your health. They’ll also advise us on the care you’ll need in the future.
We’ll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. However, if your opponent doesn’t accept responsibility or doesn’t agree with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we’ll start court proceedings.
Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim does need to go to court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen so you feel as comfortable as possible.
Making an ophthalmic claim could help pay for:
- Loss of earnings
- Further treatments from an ophthalmology expert
- Special equipment (e.g. visual aids)
- Expenses (e.g. travel costs)
The amount you’ll receive won’t only depend on the above factors, but will also take into account:
- Your pain and suffering
- The chances of you making a full recovery
- Long-term health effects
In the most severe cases, you could suffer permanent blindness, severely impaired vision or the loss of an eye because of negligent eye treatment. If this is the case we could help you secure money to fund care costs and cover earnings that you would have received up until retirement age.
We might also be able to help you get early compensation payments. Often known as interim payments, these can fund ongoing treatments and expenses before your claim settles. These can be secured if those responsible for your injury admit liability early on.
We’ll make sure that your compensation reflects the situation you’ve been left in after a negligent eye procedure, taking into account the changes you may have had to make to your life.
Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.
At the start of your case we’ll discuss funding options with you, advising you which we think is most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI) or are covered by a trade union policy, these may be best for you. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household insurance policies, so it’s always worth checking whether you’re already covered.
If we think you’re best supported by a No Win No Fee agreement, we’ll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that will protect you, at no cost to you. You’ll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful – your opponent will pay most of our fees.
Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.
You’ll normally have three years to make a claim, either from the date of your negligent care or from the point where it was discovered that negligent treatment was responsible for your injuries. However, there are some exceptions to this rule:
- If you suffered negligent care before you turned 18, you can make a claim up until your 21st birthday. Claims for children under 18 must be handled by an adult. These cases are subject to different time limits as growth can impact on your child’s injuries which means working out how much compensation you need can take time.
- If you need to claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have mental capacity, the three year time limit doesn’t apply. This changes if the person who experienced negligence regains mental capacity, where they will then have three years from this date to make a claim.
We urge you to contact us as soon as possible so that we can start looking at the evidence and building your case without delay. If you have any concerns about the time limits for claiming compensation, we’ll be able to talk through your options in a free initial consultation.
We’re the largest medical negligence department in the country, and our solicitors are highly rated by independent legal guides such as Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. With offices up and down the country, we’re able to help you wherever you are.
We have years of experience in securing compensation for those who’ve suffered as a consequence of medical errors. Our solicitors are aware that every claim is different and we take the time to understand the care and support you need.
For some people getting an apology and explanation for what’s happened is just as important as a compensation award. We’ll help you make a complaint and will campaign for systems to be put in place, to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to somebody else.
Meet our experts
