AMD is a condition that affects the macular region of the retina. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults over the age of 65. First, what does it mean to be “legally blind”? In most states, if you have less than 20/200 visual acuity that cannot be corrected with glasses/contact lenses, you are legally considered “severely visually impaired” (which was called “legally blind”). But the trick here is not what you see “naturally” (with the naked eye), but how well you see with your glasses or contact lenses. Despite such a high correction of myopic lens, if one or both of your eyes can see 20/40 or better, you are not “legally blind”. However, it`s easy to see how someone might feel this way when you`ve lost glasses somewhere! American printing house for the blind. What is legal blindness? The vision of a person who is legally blind is at least 10 times worse than that of a person with normal vision. Being legally blind affects your eyesight, but that doesn`t have to stop you from living a fulfilling life. Treatments for legal blindness vary depending on the cause and stage of the disease. Age-related eye conditions are usually prescription medications or eye procedures aimed at delaying or preventing vision from getting worse. While low vision or legal blindness can be limiting, there are many resources and tools to help you live your life with the utmost independence.
Depending on the cause of your vision loss, you may be able to benefit from eye exercises and strategies to participate in daily activities. You may also find it helpful to use a stick, talking calculator, special computer software, and other products to help people who are legally blind. It is important to know that the recipe for total blindness is 20/200, but it is after that your vision has been corrected. That is, if your natural eyes see at 20/200, but you can improve it to 80/200 with glasses or contact lenses, then you are not legally blind. That being said, more than 1,000,000 Americans are legally blind. Many of them suffer from diseases such as cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma or macular degeneration, which affect their eyes so much that they can no longer see. 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.
An ophthalmologist will measure visual acuity and visual field to determine if a person is legally blind. Being considered legally blind means you can`t drive in any state. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. The reason some people use this term is because there are many different types of “blindness.” People mistakenly believe that all blind people see only darkness or literally nothing at all. In fact, blindness may involve seeing colors or light, or having greater visual acuity in some parts of their field of vision, while others are blurred or absent. People who are legally blind may still be able to see – the problem is that the picture is not very clear. They can still see colors, shapes, lights, and shadows, but they will have trouble seeing things from afar and will need help driving. Some people who are legally blind have a visual acuity greater than 20/200. However, their peripheral vision is poor.
There are many conditions that can cause legal blindness, but the most common are age-related eye diseases. Age-related eye conditions, which are the main causes of low vision and blindness, include: This means that a legally blind person must stand 20 feet away from an object to see it clearly. People with normal vision can stand 200 feet away from the same object and see it clearly. 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. The terms may also be used by health insurers to determine benefits and as part of the vision screening tests required by state departments of motor vehicles (DMV) when determining driver`s license eligibility. For safety reasons, people who are legally blind or visually impaired are generally not entitled to a driver`s licence. 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. A legally blind person with 20/200 vision (with the best corrective lenses) would have to be 20 feet away from an object to see it, and someone with 20/20 vision could see it from 200 feet away.
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