What Does it Mean to be Legally Blind? (2024)

FAQs

What Does it Mean to be Legally Blind? ›

Visual acuity less than 20/200 is considered legally blind, but to actually fit the definition, the person must not be able to attain 20/200 vision even with prescription eyewear. Many people who would be legally blind without eyewear can function well in everyday life with appropriate glasses or contact lenses.

In order to be legally blind, you must have a visual acuity of 20/200. This means that even with glasses or contacts, you can only read the first letter at the top of the Snellen Chart, if that. You can also be legally blind if you can see, but only in a very small window in your eye.

How do you prove you are legally blind? We consider you to be blind if your vision can't be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye. We also consider you blind if your visual field is 20 degrees or less in your better eye for a period that lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months.

Legal blindness is defined as a visual acuity of 20/200 or worse, with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.

Clinically Blind vs.

While this is also a diagnosis that you can use to file for disability, a clinical diagnosis of blindness is much more severe than a legal classification of blindness. You are considered legally blind when your better eye is 20/200 or less and its visual field is 20 degrees or less.

Legal blindness is not black blindness. Rather, you are considered legally blind if you can't see at six metres with both eyes (with glasses if required) what someone with normal vision can see at 60 metres, and/or if your field of vision is less than 20 degrees in diameter in your eye with better vision.

A legally blind prescription is anything that's lower than -2.5, which is the equivalent of 20/200 vision. Visual acuity is directly linked to a prescription level.

What prescription is considered legally blind? Legal blindness is defined as 20/200 vision. 14 The prescription equivalent is -2.5. It is important to note that prescriptions for corrective lenses are different for each person, and measurements can be different for each eye.

Anyone whose field of vision falls at or below 20 degrees, who wears corrective glasses but whose vision is 20/200 or less in his best eye, or who has no eyesight at all, meets the legal definition of being blind and is eligible for certain tax deductions. Who is considered blind by the IRS.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) defines blindness as “central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens.” Note the phrase “the better eye.” In seeking disability for blindness or vision loss, it is not enough to be blind or more than blind in one eye.

What do people with total blindness see? ›

This means they have no light perception and cannot see anything. However, some still report being able to tell whether a room is light or dark, even though they cannot physically see it. Others report sometimes seeing flashes of light, too. So, it is a misconception that all people with total blindness only see black.

Severe Vision Loss is an acuity between 20/200 to 20/400. Profound Vision Loss is an acuity below 20/400. Generally, a person with this degree of vision loss cannot read a standard eye chart and low vision testing such as counting fingers is used to measure visual acuity.

In general, bad eyesight refers to any vision less than 20/20. This is a general standard followed by most optometrists—any vision different than this often needs some kind of vision correction to clearly see the world and safely navigate the environment.

Treatment. Various treatment options are available for people with legal blindness depending on the cause of their visual impairment. However, in some cases — such as retinal degeneration disorders, symptoms can be managed but there is no existing cure.

Vision loss also amplifies the effects of other chronic conditions and is a chronic condition itself.

Category 3: Blindness – presenting visual acuity worse than 3/60 and better than 1/60. Category 4: Blindness – presenting visual acuity worse than 1/60 with light perception. Category 5: Blindness – irreversible blindness with no light perception.

If you are legally or totally blind, you may be considered disabled and qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). When you are eligible for these benefits, you may also be able to continue to work and receive more income than if you were disabled due to another medical condition.

(In the tax law, and in this article, the term blindness means "legal blindness"-corrected acuity of 201 200 or less in the better eye, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.) Initially, national policy had focused on blindness as a basis for welfare payments, i.e., Title X of the 1935 Social Security Act.

Legal blindness is more common. This is defined as having 20/200 vision or worse with corrective wear in your best eye and/or a visual field of 20 degrees or less with your best eye.

Whether you are totally, legally, or partially blind, you may be eligible for the Social Security Administration's Disability benefits for the blind. In order to qualify, the SSA requires that your vision loss be quite significant and be present in both eyes. Those blind in one eye are not eligible.