What are the differences between “low vision,” “visual impairment,” and “blindness?
A Standard vision is measured as 20/20. A person is considered visually impaired if he or she can see no better than 20/70 with correction in his or her better eye. This means she can see at twenty feet what people with standard vision see at seventy feet. If an individual’s vision is no better than 20/200, he or she is considered legally blind. A person is also considered legally blind if his or her central vision is no greater than twelve degrees (i.e., he or she has limited peripheral vision and appears to be seeing things as if looking through a tube or straw). A person is typically referred to as totally blind or black blind if he or she has no usable sight. Low vision or limited vision usually refers to someone who has a visual impairment but is not totally blind.
A. Standard vision is measured as 20/20. A person is considered “visually impaired” if she can see no better than 20/70 with correction in her better eye. This means she can see at 20 feet what people with standard vision see at 70 feet. If an individual’s vision is no better than 20/200, she is considered legally blind. A person is also considered “legally blind” if his central vision is no greater than 12 degrees (i.e., he has limited peripheral vision and appears to be seeing things as if looking through a tube or straw). A person is typically referred to as “totally blind” or “black blind” if he has no visible sight. “Low vision” or “limited vision” usually refers to someone who has a visual impairment but is not totally blind. Q.
