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. If you learn that you are legally blind, organizations like the American Foundation for the Blind can help. They have programs to help you cope with the physical and emotional effects of vision loss. The government uses the term “statutory blindness” to decide who can receive certain benefits, such as disability or vocational training. This is not the same as being completely blind. You measure your eyesight by wearing glasses or contact lenses. Their vision could fall below 20/200 without them. If it improves when you put on your glasses or contact lenses, you are not considered blind under the law.
Being considered legally blind means you can`t drive in any state. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. You may be surprised to learn that it is Uncle Sam, not the doctor, who determines whether you are legally blind. Being legally blind affects your eyesight, but that doesn`t have to stop you from living a fulfilling life. 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.
“Legal blindness.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/medical/legal%20blindness. Retrieved 8 October 2022. If you are completely blind, you cannot see any light or shape. Among people with eye diseases, only about 15% can see nothing at all. If you are legally blind, you can still see, but not so clearly. An estimated 1.1 million Americans are legally blind. Certain conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, and macular degeneration, can affect your vision to the point where you can be diagnosed with the disease. A person with a visual impairment has difficulty performing ordinary tasks with vision – even with the best glasses or contact lenses.
You cannot diagnose yourself with the condition. Your doctor needs to make this call, so let him or her know if you have any eye problems. 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.
Your doctor will check your vision during a standard eye exam. The Iowa Department for the Blind also serves people who are functionally blind. A person is functionally blind when they have to use so many alternative techniques to perform tasks that are normally performed with vision that their daily lifestyle is significantly altered. These alternative techniques could include reading a newspaper while listening to the phone or using Braille to read a book. American Foundation for the Blind / VisionAware: “Low Vision and Legal Blindness Terms and Descriptions.” Rebecca Sheffield, Ph.D., Senior Policy Researcher, American Foundation for the Blind, Washington, D.C. It varies from person to person. You may be able to see objects from a distance, but not from the sides of your eyes (peripheral vision). Or you may have good peripheral vision but difficulty seeing objects in the distance. American Optometric Association: “Visual Acuity: What is 20/20 Vision?” American Medical Association Journal of Ethics: “Legal Vision Requirements for Drivers in the United States.” American Foundation for the Blind: “Civil Rights Issues for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Illinois.” Legal blindness occurs when a person has a central visual acuity (vision that allows a person to see right in front of them) of 20/200 or less in their best eye with correction. With a visual acuity of 20/200, a person can see at 20 feet what a person with a vision of 20/20 sees at 200 feet.
