Blindness and Visual Impairment Resources

Many people suffer from some kind of visual impairment. In some cases, their vision may only be partially affected, while in others, it is completely lost.

People who are blind are said to have a vision of 20/400 or even less than that. Occasionally illness or trauma can bring on visual impairment. People who have low vision typically have trouble seeing things that are either close or far. Vision loss usually cannot be helped with corrective lenses. However, some cases can be remedied with surgery or prescription medication.

How Common is Visual Impairment?

Recent statistics indicate that out of around three hundred million people around the world who are visually impaired, approximately forty five million are considered totally blind. Well over three-thirds of visually impaired people are in developing nations and in most of their cases, the impairment could have been avoided. Comparatively, these rates are much lower in North America and Europe. Visual impairment tends to strike a large portion of senior citizens, and the risk increases as they age, especially in older women. Internationally, only around eight percent of males develop color blindness, a hereditary trait, as opposed to the miniscule one percent of women. In just over a third of visual impairment victims, the cause is due to cataracts, while refractive error is the next most common cause.

• Eye Disease and Blindness in the U.S.
• Global Blindness Statistics
• Blindness in Children Versus Adults

Classifications of Visual Impairment

There are three main types of blindness. In order of seeing ability, they are low vision, legal blindness, and total blindness. People with low vision have moderate to low eyesight. In comparison, those who are legally blind are unable to see very large objects or text even while wearing lenses. Finally, total blindness is when all sight is nonexistent. Those who are colorblind or suffer from snow blindness or night blindness can usually see quite clearly, except under certain specific conditions.

• Types of Visual Impairment
• A Guide to Low Vision

What Causes Blindness?

As people grow older, they may develop illnesses like glaucoma, diabetes, cataracts, and macular degeneration, which in turn cause blindness. In younger people, eye injury is a common factor that contributes to blindness. Brain injuries, along with illnesses at birth or overexposure to certain chemicals like methanol can also bring on blindness. Unnatural causes of blindness include torture, acid attacks, and other gross acts that are meant to harm a person.

• Natural Factors of Blindness
• How Does Blindness Occur?
• Illnesses and Accidents that Lead to Blindness

Techniques and Tools to Adapt

Unlike older times when visually impaired people were at a loss, there are plenty of solutions today that allow them to function as normally as possible. They can be mobile by walking with a cane as well as a trained guide dog and GPS devices. Reading and learning is achieved not only with printed Braille pages, but also with accessible web pages and software, voice recognition systems, and Braille keyboards. These types of technologies not only allow visually impaired people to catch up with those with normal sight, but to even surpass them.

• Examples of Vision Loss Technology
• Assistive Tools for Visually Impaired Students
• Resources for Visually Impaired People
• The Internet for Blind People
• Home Living Techniques for the Blind

Additional Resources

• Blindness Glossary – Find explanations to common terms used in discussing blindness and visual impairment.
• American Association of the Deaf-Blind – The AADB helps those who are deaf or blind (or both) to integrate and live normally.
• Braille Institute – This non-profit group hold classes and workshops at various centers, and also have an excellent library for the blind.
• American Council of the Blind – The ACB works to improve life quality for blind people in the United States.
• Blind Sports Organization – The BSO’s goal is to organize and promote sporting and social events for visually impaired people to help them enjoy life in a safe group environment.
• World Blind Union – The WBU represents and acts on behalf of blind people worldwide, to help them communicate with organizations.
• National Braille Press – Blind people can benefit from literacy opportunities through the NBP.
• Council of Schools for the Blind – The COSB aims to improve schooling for visually impaired children all over North America.
• World Service for the Blind – The WSB aims to empower those with visual impairment on an international scale.
• Helen Keller Services for the Blind – This non-profit group focuses on helping visually impaired people to become independent and to integrate into their communities.
• Jewish Guild for the Blind – The Guild helps visually impaired people regardless of age or sect.
• Guide Dogs of America – This well-known group trains and distributes guide dogs to people with severe vision problems.
• Learning Ally – Learning Ally provides audio recordings of books to blind and dyslexic people
• Blinded Veterans Association – Military veterans who have succumbed to partial or full vision loss in the line of duty can receive aid from BVA.