When determining right blindness, the field of vision (the part of a person`s vision that allows them to see what is happening on their end) is also taken into account. A field of vision of 20 degrees or less is considered blind under the law. Ophthalmologists can help diagnose right blindness. Someone who is legally blind has corrected vision of 20/200 in their best eyesight. You may feel legally blind if you can`t see beyond one foot in front of you without wearing glasses, but as long as your vision can be corrected 20/20 with a visual aid like glasses, you`re not considered legally blind. Your doctor will check your vision during a standard eye exam. Most of our funding comes from people like you. During 2020, we studied the impact of COVID-19 on people who are blind or partially sighted and advocated for meaningful responses to the pandemic. This work is only possible thanks to donations from people like you. If you appreciate the information you found on our website, make a gift today! About 80% of blind people have residual vision. It can be difficult to understand how a person with a particular eye condition can see some things while not seeing others.

While some people lose a lot of vision in a short time, others slowly lose vision. Many diseases that cause blindness begin to affect a certain part of vision and then progress to remove more vision. For example, macular degeneration initially affects a person`s central vision (the vision that makes us see straight ahead). Visual examples of what individuals might see if they have diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa can be found on the National Eye Institute`s website at www.nei.nih.gov. An ophthalmologist will measure visual acuity and visual field to determine if a person is legally blind. Cataracts are the exception because vision can be restored by surgery to remove the clouded lens and, in most cases, replace it with an implant. Here is a definition of visual impairment that refers to visual acuity: Visual acuity is a number that indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision. A visual acuity measurement of 20/70 means that a person with 20/70 vision who is 20 feet away from an eye map sees what a person with intact vision (or 20/20) can see from 70 feet away. Legal blindness includes total blindness, but not all people who are legally blind are completely blind. Many blind people, for example, can see shapes and colors. Glaucoma accounts for 9-12% of all cases of blindness and is characterized by high pressure in the eyeball. Constantly high intraocular pressure can damage the optic nerve and lead to visual disturbances.

Few people today are completely blind. In fact, 85% of all people with eye diseases have some kind of vision; About 15% are completely blind. Total blindness describes a complete lack of light and perception of form. In other words, completely blind people cannot see the light and cannot see the shape of anything in front of them. Total blindness is rare – 85% of people with eye diseases have some vision, meaning that only about 15% of people with eye disease go completely blind. For more information on definitions of statutory blindness, see Assessment of Disability in Social Security, a publication of the Social Security Administration. If you`re not completely blind yet, but your vision isn`t what it used to be, you probably fall into the category of visually impaired adults. Visual impairment is sometimes referred to as “partial blindness”, but because the term is not necessarily accurate, “visual impairment” is preferred. Being considered legally blind means you can`t drive in any state. Talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Visual acuity refers to a person`s proximity to an object 20 feet away to see it in detail. Normal vision is measured at 20/20. If you had a visual acuity of 20/80, it would mean that you would be able to see details from 20 feet away, just like a person with 20/20 or normal vision from 80 feet away. Not all ophthalmologists agree with an exclusively numerical description (or visual acuity) of visual impairment. Here`s another—more functional—definition of low vision: the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Meeting the Challenge of Vision Loss in the United States: Improving Diagnosis, Rehabilitation and Accessibility. Part 1 of the United States The definition of legal blindness says this about visual acuity: You may be surprised to learn that it is Uncle Sam, not the doctor, who determines whether you are legally blind. If a visual impairment reduces visual acuity to 20/200 or one-tenth of normal vision — which is 20/20 even with glasses or contact lenses — a person in North America is considered legally blind.

Basically, if it`s at least 20/70, can`t be corrected — even with touches, glasses, or surgery — and interferes with your daily activities, it can legally be considered a “visual impairment.” Legal blindness is a term that applies to people with a certain threshold of visual impairment (vision 20/200). Remarkably, legal blindness is not the same as total blindness, where a person cannot see anything at all. A person who is legally blind may have some vision and perhaps see things like shapes and colors. Legal blindness can be the result of accidents or eye diseases, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Those who are legally blind may be entitled to disability benefits such as those offered by the Social Security Administration in the United States. Various government agencies and non-governmental organizations also offer benefits and assistance, including low-visibility aids and other tools or resources to improve daily functioning. The visual impairment must be medically verified and validated by an optometrist or other physician in order for the person to receive benefits. Against the background of legal blindness, these are the consequences of defects or damage in various ocular tissues. The eye is a complex organ, and even the smallest tissue damage can significantly affect vision. American printing house for the blind.

What is legal blindness? Normal visibility is 20/20. This means that you can clearly see an object from 20 feet away. If you are legally blind, your vision is 20/200 or less in your best eye or your field of vision is less than 20 degrees. That is, if an object is 200 feet away, you must stand 20 feet away from it to see it clearly. But a person with normal vision can stand at 200 feet and see this object perfectly. Visual impairment, on the other hand, is defined as 20/70 vision in the best eye with glasses or contact lenses. Although poor vision can interfere with daily activities, vision loss is not as profound as legal blindness.