#visible

Visual Impairments

Say the word visual impairment and two images often spring to mind. The first is a person with large round glasses that magnify their eyes to alien proportions while leaning over a complex book on particle physics or rocket science. The second is a person walking along the road with a large stick tapping it out in front of them wearing huge black sunglasses.

In a nutshell, visual impairment is a decreased ability to see, to a degree in which the problem cannot be fixed by usual means (like glasses or contact lenses).

You are only blind is you have complete, or nearly complete vision loss.

Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness, which is the clouding in the lens of the eye. (The lens sits behind the pupil of the eye, which is the round black part in the middle) They are caused by ageing, but can also be caused by trauma or even be present in some people at birth. There is a simple surgery that is now routinely done that can take out the clouded lens and insert a clear one.

Blindness can also be caused by infections, diabetes, and eye degeneration from aging. Problems in the brain, like having a stroke, which can happen at any age, can also cause blindness.

If you have been to see the ophthalmologists, orthoptist, or opticians (all professions that deal with the eyes), you will have seen this chart before-

It is called the Snellen chart, and is used to test how well you can see.

You will have also seen this before-

It is a mobility tool, used by people who are blind (this is when someone has no light perception) There are actually 5 different types that can be used.

The Long cane detects obstacles in the way of the user. A guide cane is shorter, and is used to find curbs and steps.

Identification canes/ Symbol canes, is used to alert people that the user Is blind, it is not used for mobility.

There is also a support cane, which offers physical stability, a kiddie cane that can be used by children and a green cane which is to indicate that the person does have vision- though limited- compared to a white cane where the user is blind. 

Someone who has limited vision may struggle with simple day to day tasks without the help of visual aids. There are magnifiers which can enlarge text, as well as a language of dots called braille which allows people who are blind to be able to read.

Computers are able to have programmes which can read aloud text, so the user doesn't have to read, as well as dictation, which means the person does not have to type, only speak aloud to have their words written down.

If you have a specific question you would like to ask about visual impairments, leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer it!