What does Legally Blind Mean?
I was recently asked the following question on formspring. I thought it might be helpful to share the answer here as well.
Q: You’re legally blind? What does legally blind mean? What can you see?
A: Legal blindness definitions vary but most commonly, if someone is registered legally blind they have visual acuity of 20/200 (6/60) or less in the better eye with best correction possible.
Someone with average visual acuity may also be registered legally blind if there visual field is less than 20 degress (around 180 degrees is normal)
I’m the later. I have pretty good visual acuity but have a very narrow field of vision. That’s why I’m considered legally blind.
I don’t have stereoscopic vision, vision wherein two separate images from two eyes are successfully combined into one image in the brain. I don’t have the “successfully combined into one image part.” Instead I have one image from one eye one from the other and mixed messages in the middle. Whooops. That’s why I have glasses with one lens fogged. It’s less work and strain for me to get accurate information.
Here are the other things that my eyes fail to do or fail to do well.
Track: the ability to move the eyes across a sheet of paper. My eyes can not move from side to side because of optic nerves damage. I move my head instead.
Fusion: the ability to use both eyes together at the same time. I have very independent eyes,they are not team players.
Stereopis: binocular depth perception. Watch and laugh as I reach for the door knob and miss it by a mile.
Convergence: the ability of the eyes to move and work as a team. Like I said.
I never know how to answer the question, “What or how do you see?” It’s a hard thing to explain. I can see fairly well, within my field of vision. Less at night, sensitive to light and flashes. I use a cane so I can move faster, fall less and give moving cars a heads-up. I get information about the terrain through my cane.
What do I see? How does one explain that? What do YOU see? Really, try and answer the question, it’s not easy.
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Annie P | Jun 22, 2010 | Reply
Rachel – thanks so much for answering this. It really is hard to know and understand what someone else can — or can’t — see.
ProNagger | Jun 22, 2010 | Reply
Thanks Annie for letting me know this answer was helpful.
Kimberly Castleberry | Jul 6, 2010 | Reply
That’s actually a really neat explanation. As someone with mostly correct vision (only standard corrective lenses), it can be difficult to both understand and anticipate another person’s situation and unique needs. Thanks for sharing!
Kimberly