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Last Updated 7th January 2026. Eye surgery claims are a type of medical negligence claim that are made when substandard ophthalmology care causes avoidable harm (harm that should’ve been prevented), such as vision loss, prolonged pain, or the need for further treatment.
Surgical errors, misdiagnosis, poor aftercare, and a failure to properly explain the risks before a procedure are all examples of substandard care.
In most cases, eye surgery claims must be started within 3 years, and medical negligence compensation can be awarded to cover the physical, psychological, and financial pain and suffering that results from substandard care.
Contact us today to find out how we could help with eye surgery claims. Our friendly team of advisors can assess the eligibility of your case, provide you with free advice, and answer any questions you may have about the claiming process. Connect with them today via any of the following methods:
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- Call 0161 509 2856
- Contact us online to receive a callback.
- Use the live chat pop-up to ask a question.
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Select A Section
- Can I Make An Eye Surgery Claim?
- What Are Examples of Potential Laser Eye Surgery Claims?
- How Much Compensation From Cosmetic Eye Surgery Claims?
- What Will Happen When Claiming For Eye Surgery Negligence?
- How Can You Make A No Win No Fee Eye Surgery Claim?
- Learn More About Medical Negligence Claims
Can I Make An Eye Surgery Claim?
Yes, eye surgery claims can be made if it’s proven that you suffered avoidable harm due to negligent ophthalmological care.
To have an eligible claim, you must establish these four key legal elements:
- Duty of care – the surgeon, hospital, or optician owed you a duty to provide treatment that met acceptable medical standards. This duty is automatically owed to you the moment the medical professional agrees to treat you.
- Breach of duty – that duty of care was breached through negligent actions or omissions, such as surgical mistakes, incorrect diagnosis, or inadequate aftercare.
- Causation – the breach directly caused your suffering or made your condition worse, rather than being an unavoidable complication.
- Harm – you suffered avoidable harm, such as loss of vision and psychological distress.
Contact us today to potentially connect with one of our solicitors. They can help you prove each of the above elements for your eye surgery claim.
Types Of Eye Surgery Procedure
- Laser eye surgery: This procedure may be used to treat conditions that lead to loss of vision or correct problems with eyesight. The surgeon uses a laser to alter the cornea (outer layer of the eye).
- Cataract surgery: This procedure involves replacing the cloudy lens inside of your eye with an artificial one. Cataracts can get worse slowly over time, and surgery is the only way to correct this condition.
- Retinal detachment surgery: A detached retina occurs when the thin layer at the back of your eye becomes loose. It can permanently affect your eyesight, and surgery may be required to fix this issue.
- Glaucoma treatment: Glaucoma occurs when the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged. If not treated early, it can lead to a loss of vision. Depending on the type of glaucoma you have, you may require laser treatment or surgery to improve the condition.
If you have any questions regarding eye surgery compensation claims, or if you would like the eligibility of your case assessed, you can contact one of our advisors.
What Are Examples of Potential Laser Eye Surgery Claims?
As aforementioned, for eye surgery claims to be considered valid, they must demonstrate that a medical professional breached their duty of care, resulting in a patient suffering unnecessary harm.
Some examples of how you may suffer unnecessary harm during eye surgery include:
- If your surgeon or another healthcare professional, such as an ophthalmologist, failed to warn you of the risks of surgery you were receiving. Knowing these risks may sway your decision on whether or not you still want the surgery. If you were not informed of them, and you suffered one, you might be able to make a claim for compensation for the harm you have suffered.
- Your surgeon using the wrong equipment or procedures during your surgery could cause you to suffer harm, such as scarring or reduced vision.
- Never events, such as the surgeon performing the surgery on the incorrect eye. This could cause your original condition to worsen and your healthy eye to suffer unnecessary harm due to the procedure.
- Receiving incorrect advice from your surgeon regarding your aftercare, resulting in you suffering harm that could have otherwise been avoided.
How Much Time Do You Have To Make An Eye Surgery Claim?
In most cases, you have three years to start a medical negligence claim. This is set out within the Limitation Act 1980 and runs from the date the medical negligence took place or the date you first became reasonably aware of it.
Exceptions to this limitation period apply to claimants under the age of 18 and those lacking the mental capacity to manage their own legal proceedings.
To learn more about the exceptions that apply to the time limits for eye surgery claims, you can contact our advisors. They can also inform you whether you could be eligible to make a claim if your eye operation has gone wrong.
How Much Compensation From Cosmetic Eye Surgery Claims?
How much compensation could be awarded for a successful laser eye surgery claim will depend on the specific factors affecting the claim since compensation is awarded on a case-by-case basis.
However, compensation settlements for successful eye surgery claims could consist of general and special damages. General damages are awarded in all successful medical negligence claims, and compensate you for the unnecessary harm you suffered due to a healthcare professional failing to provide you with the correct standard of care.
Those in charge of valuing this head of your claim can refer to any medical evidence they have been provided as well as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG provides compensation guidelines for different forms of harm.
In the table below, we have listed some of the compensation guidelines that may be applicable for eye surgery claims. Please note that this table should only be used as a guide, and the first entry has not been taken from the JCG.
Compensation Table
| Harm Suffered | Severity | Notes | Compensation Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Forms of Harm Plus Special Damages | Serious | Compensation for suffering multiple serious forms of harm plus special damages for loss of earnings, medical expenses and travel costs. | Up to £350,000+ |
| Injuries Affecting Sight | (b) Total Blindness | Complete loss of sight in both eyes. | In the region of £327,940 |
| (c) Loss of Sight In One Eye With Reduced Vision In The Other (i) | There is a serious risk of further deterioration in the remaining eye going beyond sympathetic ophthalmia. | £117,150 to £219,400 | |
| (c) Loss of Sight In One Eye With Reduced Vision In The Other (ii) | Reduced vision in the remaining eye with additional problems, e.g. double vision. | £78,040 to £129,330 | |
| (d) Total Loss of One Eye | The person's age, cosmetic effect and psychiatric consequences will affect the amount awarded. | £66,920 to £80,210 | |
| (e) Complete Loss Of Sight In One Eye | Some risk of sympathetic ophthalmia will be taken into account. | £60,130 to £66,920 | |
| (f) Serious Incomplete Loss Of Vision In One Eye | The remaining eye won't suffer a significant risk of loss of or reduced vision. | £28,900 to £48,040 | |
| (g) Minor Permanent Impairment Of Vision | Affecting one or both eyes with some double vision. | £11,120 to £25,600 |
Special Damages For Medical Negligence Claims
Special damages aim to reimburse you for the financial harm you have suffered due to the medical negligence. For example, this may include, but is not limited to:
- Medical expenses, such as paying for further corrective surgery.
- Loss of earnings for needing to take time off work.
- Travel expenses to and from medical appointments, such as taxi fares.
When claiming special damages, you will need to present evidence of the losses you intend to claim for. Evidence could include invoices, payslips and receipts.
Contact our advisors today to receive a free valuation of your potential compensation.
What Will Happen When Claiming For Eye Surgery Negligence?
When you first contact our team, they will assess whether you could make a claim for eye surgery negligence. You can talk to our team for free, and they can offer you a no-obligation consultation. If they deem you to have a valid claim, they could connect you with a No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitor from Advice.
The solicitor working on your case will then reach out to the potentially liable party to see whether they accept responsibility for the negligence or not. If they accept liability, your solicitor will try to secure interim compensation payments that could help fund your ongoing recovery and medical treatments while the fully settle the claim. Any interim payments you receive will be taken out from your final compensation payment.
Additionally, when working with one of our solicitors, they could help organise an independent medical assessment to evaluate the extent of the harm you have suffered. They could also help you with gathering evidence to support your case. We will provide some examples of evidence a little further down.
Our solicitors try to negotiate claims out of court and have the claim settled as soon as possible. However, should no agreement be made from both parties regarding liability and potential compensation, the claim may need to go to court. In this instance, the solicitor working on your case will help guide you through the process.
Evidence That Could Help In A Medical Negligence Claim
There are multiple steps you should take in order to gather the evidence that can help in an eye surgery medical negligence claim:
- Seeking medical advice straight away – you should visit A&E or an urgent care clinic as soon as possible to seek help regarding your avoidable harm.
- Collect evidence – request copies of your medical records, keep all correspondence between you and the negligent medical professional, and get contact details from anyone who witnessed you receive negligent eye treatment.
- Make an official complaint – A written complaint of your negligent eye treatment can also be used as evidence.
- Note how your injuries are affecting you – keep a record of what symptoms you’re suffering, and what treatment you are receiving.
- Seek legal advice – speak to a specialist eye surgery claims solicitor to ensure that you have the best chances of claiming compensation for your suffering. A No Win No Fee solicitor from Advice in particular can help you gather and present your evidence.
To learn more about what evidence can help in eye surgery claims, please contact us today.
How Can You Make A No Win No Fee Eye Surgery Claim?
Our solicitors have many years of experience working on various medical negligence claims, including eye surgery claims. If your case meets the eligibility requirements, one of them could help you through the claiming process.
Additionally, they may offer their services to you through a type of No Win No Fee contract known as a Conditional Fee Agreement. With this particular arrangement in place, you will not need to pay your solicitor for their services:
- Upfront.
- While the claim progresses.
- If it fails.
Alternatively, should the claim succeed, you will be required to pay your solicitor a success fee. This fee will be legally limited and taken from your compensation as a percentage. This means that you will get to keep the majority of your compensation.
To check your eligibility to work with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors for your medical negligence claim, you can contact our advisors. They can be reached by any of the following methods:
- Call 0161 509 2856
- Contact us online to receive a callback.
- Use the live chat pop-up to ask a question.
Learn More About Eye Surgery Claims
These external resources can help you in making an eye surgery claim:
- Guidance on good surgical practice for surgeons from the Royal College of Surgeons Of England.
- Information regarding the Pre-Action Protocol for the Resolution of Clinal Disputes from the Ministry of Justice.
- If the harm you suffered required you to take time off work, this guide from Gov.UK discusses when you could receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
If you have any questions regarding eye surgery claims or would like to have the validity of your potential medical negligence claim checked, you can contact our advisors.
