Well parts of this case depend on facts not available to me. For example, did your mother have a pre-existing condition which made her cornea more sensitive to injury?
As to the lawyer's advice, I think the reason for little, if any, compensation is that the doctor is already offering free treatment. Compensation for negligence is usually designed to restore what the victim has lost. If the doctor can do everything he or she can to reduce the pain and even restore her cornea, then there's little compensation recoverable. If your mother is still working and lost wages due to her injury, then she could still recover something. Likewise, if your mother enjoyed a hobby that she cannot do, a small amount of money could be found for that, but the doctor's offer is a well calculated one to prevent action such as this.
Don't let my words or the other lawyer's words discourage you though from getting another opinion. Ask another attorney (Im not a lawyer btw) for their opinion, and this time one that does specialize in medical malpractice. I would also ask another eye doctor or two to verify that the technician is the cause of the injury and that the treatment offered by eye doctor #1 would actually help ease/reverse the damage done.
Merry Christmas. Please seek another attorney for legal advice.
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