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World Health Organization

-Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have near or distance vision impairments

-In at least a billion of these, vision impairment could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed

Leading causes:

-Refractive errors

-Cateracts

-Diabetic Retinopathy

-Age related macular degeneration

-Currently, only 36% or people with refractive vision and 17% with cateracts have access to adequet medical treatment. This causes a massive personal and financial burden world wide.

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Overview

Vision, the most dominant of our senses, plays a critical role in every facet and stage of our lives. We take vision for granted, but without vision, we struggle to learn, to walk, to read, to participate in school and to work.

Vision impairment occurs when an eye condition affects the visual system and its vision functions. Everyone, if they live long enough, will experience at least one eye condition in their lifetime that will require appropriate care.

Vision impairment has serious consequences for the individual across the life course. Many of these consequences can be mitigated by timely access to quality eye care. Eye conditions that can cause vision impairment and blindness - such as cataract or refractive error - are, for good reasons, the main focus of eye care strategies; nevertheless, the importance of eye conditions that do not typically cause vision impairment - such as dry eye or conjunctivitis - must not be overlooked. These conditions are frequently among the leading reasons for presentation to eye care services.

Causes

Globally, the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness are:

refractive errors

cataract

diabetic retinopathy

glaucoma

age-related macular degeneration.

There is substantial variation in the causes of vision impairment between and within countries according to the availability of eye care services, their affordability, and the education of the population. For example, the proportion of vision impairment attributable to unoperated cataract is higher in low- and middle-income countries. In high income countries, diseases such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration are more common.

Among children, congenital cataract is a leading cause of vision impairment in low-income countries, whereas in middle-income countries it is more likely to be retinopathy of prematurity.

Uncorrected refractive error remains a leading cause of vision impairment in all countries amongst children and adult populations.

Prevalence

Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion - or almost half - of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.

Among this 1 billion people, the main conditions causing distance vision impairment or blindness are cataract (94 million), refractive error (88.4 million), age-related macular degeneration (8 million), glaucoma (7.7 million), diabetic retinopathy (3.9 million) (1). The main condition causing near vision impairment is presbyopia (826 million) (2).

In terms of regional differences, the prevalence of distance vision impairment in low- and middle-income regions is estimated to be 4 times higher than in high-income regions (1). With regards to near vision, rates of unaddressed near vision impairment are estimated to be greater than 80% in western, eastern and central sub-Saharan Africa, while comparative rates in high-income regions of North America, Australasia, western Europe, and of Asia-Pacific are reported to be lower than 10% (2).

Population growth and ageing are expected to increase the risk that more people acquire vision impairment.

Impact of vision impairment

Personal impact

Young children with early onset irreversible severe vision impairment can experience delayed motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development, with lifelong consequences. School-age children with vision impairment can also experience lower levels of educational achievement.

Vision impairment severely impacts quality of life among adult populations. Adults with vision impairment can experience lower rates of employment and higher rates of depression and anxiety.

In the case of older adults, vision impairment can contribute to social isolation, difficulty walking, a higher risk of falls and fractures, and a greater likelihood of early entry into nursing or care homes.

Economic impact

Vision impairment poses an enormous global financial burden with an estimate annual global productivity loss of about US$ 411 billion purchasing power parity (3). This figure far outweighs the estimated cost gap of addressing the unmet need of vision impairment ( estimated at about US$ 25 billion).

Strategies to address eye conditions to avoid vision impairment

There are effective interventions covering promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation which address the needs associated with eye conditions and vision impairment. While many vision loss cases can be prevented (such as those due to infections, trauma, unsafe traditional medicines, perinatal diseases, nutrition-related diseases, unsafe use or self-administration of topical treatment), this is not possible for all. For many eye conditions, e.g. diabetic retinopathy, early detection and timely treatment are crucial to avoid irreversible vision loss. Spectacle correction for refractive error and surgery for cataract are among the most cost-effective of all health-care interventions. Yet, globally only 36% of people with a distance vision impairment due to refractive error have received access to an appropriate pair of spectacles and only 17% of people with vision impairment or blindness due to cataract have received access to quality surgery.

Treatment is also available for many eye conditions that do not typically cause vision impairment, such as dry eye, conjunctivitis and blepharitis, but generate discomfort and pain. Treatment of these conditions is directed at alleviating the symptoms and preventing the evolution towards more severe stages of those diseases.

Vision rehabilitation is very effective in improving functioning for people with an irreversible vision loss that can be caused by eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, consequences of trauma, and age-related macular degeneration.

WHO response

WHO's work is guided by the recommendations of the WHO World report on vision (2019) and the resolution on "integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness and vision impairment" adopted at the Seventy-third World Health Assembly in 2020. The key proposal is to make integrated people-centred eye care (IPEC) the care model of choice and to ensure its widespread implementation. It is expected that by shaping the global agenda on vision and eye care, the report and resolution will assist Member States and their partners in their efforts to reduce the burden of eye conditions and vision.

Some of WHO's key areas of work and activities in the prevention of blindness include:

1. Working with Member States and other partners in the field to monitor the global targets for 2030 on integrated people-centred eye care:

2. Observing and promoting World Sight Day as an annual advocacy event.

3. Supporting the integration of eye care in health systems through the implementation of a series of technical tools:

4. The development and implementation tools to support countries to assess the provision of eye care services such as:

The Eye care situation analysis tool

The Tool for the assessment of diabetic retinopathy and diabetes management services.

The Tool for the assessment of glaucoma services.

The Tool for the assessment of refractive services.

The Tool for the assessment of rehabilitation services and systems.

5. The development of materials and resources to raise awareness on eye care:

References
1. GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators; Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Glob Health. 2021 Feb;9(2):e144-e160. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30489-7.

2. Fricke, TR, Tahhan N, Resnikoff S, Papas E, Burnett A, Suit MH, Naduvilath T, Naidoo K, Global Prevalence of Presbyopia and Vision Impairment from Uncorrected Presbyopia: Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Modelling, Ophthalmology. 2018 May 9.

3. Burton MJ, Ramke J, Marques AP, Bourne RR, Congdon N, Jones I, et al. The Lancet Global Health commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020. Lancet Glob Health. 2021; 9(4):e489-e551.

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WHO fact sheet on blindness and visual impairment providing key facts, definitions, causes, who is at risk, global and WHO response.

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This resourse goes into further detail on the 4 leading causes of visual impairment.

Also noted in causes:

-Amblyopia

-Strabismus

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4.2 Million

More than 4.2 million Americans aged 40 years and older are either legally blind* or are with low vision** in the better-seeing eye, excluding those who were categorized as being blind).

* having best-corrected visual acuity of 6/60 or worse (=20/200) in the better-seeing eye
** having best-corrected visual acuity less than 6/12 (<20/40)

The leading causes of blindness and low vision in the United States are primarily age-related eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Other common eye disorders include amblyopia and strabismus.

Refractive Errors

Refractive errors are the most frequent eye problems in the United States. Refractive errors include myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (distorted vision at all distances), and presbyopia that occurs between age 40-50 years (loss of the ability to focus up close, inability to read letters of the phone book, need to hold newspaper farther away to see clearly) can be corrected by eyeglasses, contact lenses, or in some cases surgery. The National Eye Institute states that proper refractive correction could improve vision among 150 million Americans. Learn more about refractive errors.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Early Symptoms: None
Later Symptoms: Loss of central vision, blurry or wavy areas in your central vision, drusen.

Macular degeneration, often called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is an eye disorder associated with aging and results in damaging sharp and central vision. Central vision is needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and driving. AMD affects the macula, the central part the retina that allows the eye to see fine details.
There are two forms of AMD-wet and dry.

Wet AMD is when abnormal blood vessel behind the retina start to grow under the macula, ultimately leading to blood and fluid leakage. Bleeding, leaking, and scarring from these blood vessels cause damage and lead to rapid central vision loss. An early symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear wavy.

Dry AMD is when the macula thins overtime as part of aging process, gradually blurring central vision. The dry form is more common and accounts for 70-90% of cases of AMD and it progresses more slowly than the wet form. Over time, as less of the macula functions, central vision is gradually lost in the affected eye. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes. One of the most common early signs of dry AMD is drusen.

Drusen are tiny yellow or white deposits under the retina. They often are found in people aged 60 years and older. The presence of small drusen is normal and does not cause vision loss. However, the presence of large and more numerous drusen raises the risk of developing advanced dry AMD or wet AMD. It is estimated that 1.8 million Americans aged 40 years and older are affected by AMD and an additional 7.3 million with large drusen are at substantial risk of developing AMD. The number of people with AMD is estimated to reach 2.95 million in 2020. AMD is the leading cause of permanent impairment of reading and fine or close-up vision among people aged 65 years and older. Learn more about age-related macular degeneration.

Related Resources:

Latest state and national data on AMD

Learn about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

NIH Resources: Learn more about AMD

Cataract

Early Symptoms: None
Later Symptoms: Loss of central vision, blurry or wavy areas in your central vision, drusen.

Cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. Cataracts can occur at any age because of a variety of causes, and can be present at birth. Although treatment for the removal of cataract is widely available, access barriers such as insurance coverage, treatment costs, patient choice, or lack of awareness prevent many people from receiving the proper treatment. An estimated 20.5 million (17.2%) Americans aged 40 years and older have cataract in one or both eyes, and 6.1 million (5.1%) have had their lens removed operatively. The total number of people who have cataracts is estimated to increase to 30.1 million by 2020. Learn more about cataracts.

Latest state and national data on Cataract

Learn more about Cataract

Diabetic Retinopathy

Early Symptoms: None
Later Symptoms: Loss of central vision, blurry or wavy areas in your central vision, drusen.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes. It is the leading cause of blindness in American adults. It is characterized by progressive damage to the blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that is necessary for good vision. DR progresses through four stages:

mild nonproliferative retinopathy (microaneurysms)

moderate nonproliferative retinopathy (blockage in some retinal vessels)

severe nonproliferative retinopathy (more vessels are blocked leading to deprived retina from blood supply leading to growing new blood vessels)

proliferative retinopathy (most advanced stage).

Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes.

The risks of DR are reduced through disease management that includes good control of blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipid abnormalities. Early diagnosis of DR and timely treatment reduce the risk of vision loss; however, as many as 50% of patients are not getting their eyes examined or are diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective. It is the leading cause of blindness among U.S. working-aged adults aged 20-74 years. An estimated 4.1 million and 899,000 Americans are affected by retinopathy and vision-threatening retinopathy, respectively. Learn more about diabetic retinopathy.

Latest state and national data on Diebetic Retinopathy

Learn more about Diebetic Retinopathy

Glaucoma

Early Symptoms: None
Later Symptoms: Loss of central vision, blurry or wavy areas in your central vision, drusen.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma occurs when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises. However, recent findings now show that glaucoma can occur with normal eye pressure. With early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss.

There are two major categories "open angle" and "closed angle" glaucoma. Open angle, is a chronic condition that progress slowly over long period of time without the person noticing vision loss until the disease is very advanced, that is why it is called "sneak thief of sight." Angle closure can appear suddenly and is painful. Visual loss can progress quickly; however, the pain and discomfort lead patients to seek medical attention before permanent damage occurs. Learn more about glaucoma.

Latest state and national data on Glaucoma

Learn more about Glaucoma

Don't let Glaucoma steal your sight!

Amblyopia

Symptoms: Poor vision in one eye

Amblyopia, also referred to as "lazy eye," is the most common cause of vision impairment in children. Amblyopia is the medical term used when the vision in one of the eyes is reduced because the eye and the brain are not working together properly. The eye itself looks normal, but it is not being used normally because the brain is favoring the other eye. Conditions leading to amblyopia include strabismus, an imbalance in the positioning of the two eyes; more nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatic in one eye than the other eye, and rarely other eye conditions such as cataract. Unless it is successfully treated in early childhood amblyopia usually persists into adulthood, and is the most common cause of permanent one-eye vision impairment among children and young and middle-aged adults. An estimated 2%-3% of the population suffer from amblyopia. Learn more about amblyopia.

Latest state and national data on Amblyopia

Learn more about Amblyopia

Strabismus

Strabismus involves an imbalance in the positioning of the two eyes. Strabismus can cause the eyes to cross in (esotropia) or turn out (exotropia). Strabismus is caused by a lack of coordination between the eyes. As a result, the eyes look in different directions and do not focus simultaneously on a single point. In most cases of strabismus in children, the cause is unknown. In more than half of these cases, the problem is present at or shortly after birth (congenital strabismus). When the two eyes fail to focus on the same image, there is reduced or absent depth perception and the brain may learn to ignore the input from one eye, causing permanent vision loss in that eye (one type of amblyopia). Learn more about strabismus.

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Common eye disorders that could lead to vision loss

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-Recorded: 1.5 Million Canadians are affected by sight loss

-Breakdown of blindness by province and lead causes

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Diagnostis Process.

-If visual problems are suspected an ophthalmologist usually examines the eyes.

The tests that are used to diagnose visual impairment include:

-Snellen Test

-Visual Field Test

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If visual problems are suspected an ophthalmologist usually examines the eyes. An ophthalmologists specializes in diagnosing, and treating eyes and their diseases.

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Barriers

Dealing with ableism in a day to day setting

Making sure an area is accessible before you can go eg. braille

Having to buy assistive technology to be successful and stay up to date

Learning how to advocate for yourself

Learning how to use your other senses and to rely on those

The school system is set up for fully sighted people

People discriminating due to your sight and think you are not capable of obtaining a job or a degree

Social barriers arrive when people do not want to be friends with someone who has a disability

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Adaptions:

Having assistive tech available for a student

Having braille taught and available

Adapting assignments so they are able to use their assistive tech to complete it successfully

Setting them up for success

Larger print or audio tapes

Oral testing

Recording of classes to be permitted

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Achievements

Learning braille

Being good at adapting

Thinking on your feet

Being able to speak up for your self

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Accommodations

Important to remember that they do not reduce grade level standards, help provide access to the material

This is based on individuals needs and their spectrum of visually impaired

Teachers should be verbally teaching not just writing on a chalkboard

Being flexible with giving more time to complete a project

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Personal Accounts of Visual Impairment on a Spectrum

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Personal Accounts of Visual Impairment on a Spectrum

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This reads like a journal and highlights how visual impairment is a spectrum with so many personal accounts.

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The Spectrum of Vision Impairment - Life of a Blind Girl

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An insight into the spectrum of vision impairment

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Families and first-person accounts part 1:

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Families and first-person accounts part 1:

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This video enlightened viewers of what it would be like to be a blind person in New York City. The Nowhere men follow Yvonne who is a lifelong caretaker. Yvonne lost her vision 16 years ago after raising her own kids and many foster kids in her family home. The Nowhere men follow Yvonne to Visions where she teaches a class for visually impaired people. Yvonne discusses her story of blindness how she felt after becoming blind and how coming into the Visions community helped her feel like she belonged and have a new sense of family. The Nowhere men attended the dance class Yvonne instructed and then they had a group outing to an ice cream shop where they went with the group blindfolded to get a sense of what it would be like to be blind in NYC. After Yvonne talks about how she can do anything and how being a part of visions has given her courage and she hopes to inspire others to be courageous.

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Day in the Life of a BLIND Person in NYC

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Families and first-person accounts part 2:

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Families and first-person accounts part 2:

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This Video follows a young man who has Retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a degenerative disease that slowly causes you to lose vision. This young man was diagnosed when he was 11-12 years old and he was a hard-core athlete. This young man still is, he loves to run, and he boxes. His boxing bag is black with white letters the high contrast helps him be able to see it. The young man also enjoys doing pottery and highly recommends it for visually impaired folks because it is very relaxing and you can just focus on how the art feels, how fast you turn the wheel etc. His life talks about not saying no I can't instead he"figures it out". His organization The Foreseeable Future Foundation helps the visually impaired community.

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A day in the life with a visual Impairment- The Foreseeable Future Foundation

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Families and first-person accounts part 3:

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Families and first-person accounts part 3:

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This article tells Peter's story about going blind. Peter went blind in the 1990's. Peter has a condition called diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that causes vision loss or blindness in people who have diabetes. Peter says for half his life he could see and now he cannot. For Peter, it was a scary transition. Peter talks about how he went through the stages of grief and how the medical system was not very helpful to him. Peter said the medical professionals helping him were like "The surgery did not work, have a nice day." Instead of the surgery did not work here are some resources to help you. So he had to be independent on his own. He ended up going into a 14-week program that taught him how to do everyday things, like cooking, using a computer and other things. Peter's first step was to learn Braille. Peter says it took time but he now lives on his own and he is an ADA coordinator to help accommodate disability requests at the University of Illinois Chicago.

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Key takeaways:

Loss of vision can be scary because you don't know how it will affect your life.

Peter Berg lost his vision because of diabetic retinopathy. It took time for him to figure out how to deal with being blind.

With patience, he learned he can do all the things sighted people can do - except see.

GoodRx Health

Losing your vision can be a scary thing. But it is something you can manage with training, says Peter Berg, who has been blind for more than 25 years.

Peter lost his sight in the 1990s because of diabetic retinopathy, an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. Over time, blood sugars can damage blood vessels in the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye, called the retina. As the condition progresses, these blood vessels start to break and leak, which can result in seeing floating dark spots or cobweb-like streaks.

With treatment, these vision changes sometimes go away. Without treatment, however, scars can form in the back of the eye, impairing your vision more. And blood vessels can continue to leak, further damaging your vision.

Losing his sight

Peter was in his mid-20s when he lost his vision.

"I spent the first half of my life with vision and now the second half without," he says.

It was a transition that happened relatively quickly. He started to have vision issues in late 1994. By the end of 1996, he was completely blind.

At first, he went through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Eventually, he says, he realized he had to take charge of the situation.

"My approach was, 'OK, I'm blind - what do I do now?'" says Peter, now the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator for the University of Illinois Chicago's Office for Access and Equity.

"I went from working full time as a customer service manager for a grocery store chain in the Chicago area to being totally blind," he says. "I had to figure out what Blind people do as a career. Because sitting around and doing nothing, in my mind, was not an option."

Patience and perseverance

Adjusting to his loss of sight took time. But with patience and perseverance, Peter says he found a way to manage it.

He didn't get much help from the medical professionals who had worked to retain his sight, he says.

"My last surgery was done by a highly skilled and recognized surgeon in the Chicago area. And when I went in for the follow-up appointment after my last surgery, I realized that from his viewpoint, [the surgery] was a failure," Peter says.

"There was no, 'You've lost your vision, here's resources and here's the state bureau for blind services.' It was nothing like that. It was more like, 'It didn't work. Have a nice day.'"

Peter says he had to figure out how to be successful on his own.

"I'd encountered [Blind people] somewhat in my previous life, and I knew that they were out there doing things and being successful." Peter says. "I didn't know what those things were, and I didn't know how you got those skills. But from that point, it was like, 'I'm gonna figure out what is out there and what I can do.'"

The learning journey

Peter says he thought his first step was to learn , a tactile writing system with raised dots that you read with your fingertips. But a phone call to his local library led him to state vocational rehabilitation services, where he was able to enroll in a 14-week program that taught him how to accomplish daily tasks.

For the first 7 weeks, he participated in a residential program that taught orientation and mobility, as well as how to travel independently, cook, use a computer, and take care of other aspects of daily life.

During the second 7 weeks, Peter lived at home and traveled independently from the suburbs of Chicago by train into the city.

With training, he says, he was able to learn how to live on his own, just like sighted people do.

"People misunderstand the disability and see things from the perspective of: 'This is how I would do it and just don't see how (pardon the pun) someone that is blind could accomplish this task,'" he says.

"They don't understand that people who are blind, given the opportunity to be properly trained and have access to resources, can do most everything that anyone else can do - except see."

Learning how to travel independently, he says, was the scariest thing. But with time, he found a way to manage day-to-day life with vision loss. He learned how to do things without his sight, he says, just like he learned how to do things like cut vegetables and cook when he was sighted.

"Do I cut myself? Yes. But sighted people cut themselves when they cut vegetables, too," he says. "I cut up vegetables before I lost my vision, and I have cut them up since losing my vision. It [cutting myself] just happens sometimes if I'm not being as careful as I should. But again, there are adaptive techniques that people can incorporate to do things. You just have to learn how to use them."

Overcoming his fears

Over time, Peter learned to live on his own. For the last 22 years, he's worked at the University of Illinois Chicago. He serves as the ADA coordinator, where he helps provide accommodation requests for employees and others at the school with disabilities.

Initially, he says, his diagnosis left him in fear - mostly of the unknown and what might happen next. But now, he says, with training and practice, he knows what to expect and how to adapt, just like a sighted person would.

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Here's What It Feels Like to Be Blind - GoodRx

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Becoming blind changed Peter Berg's life. Here's how Peter describes what it felt like to have vision then cope with blindness.

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Families and first-person accounts part 4:

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Families and first-person accounts part 4:

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This article is about a blind adventurer, co-founder, and motivational speaker, Erik Weihenmayer. At the age of 14 Erik started to develop a condition called retinoschisis. Retinoschisis is a generative or hereditary condition that causes the retina to split into two layers causing blindness. Erik Weihenmayer was never stopped by his condition and continued wrestling through his adolescence. Erik Weihenmayer is the first blind person to climb Mount. Everest in 2001. He's climbed pyramids in Papua New Guinea, travelled to Denali and more. Erik Weihenmayer co-founded a movement called No Barriers. No Barriers is a movement that inspires people to face their barriers "head-on". Erik stated this about the movement “What’s Within You Is Stronger Than What’s In Your Way.” The Article also discusses how the barriers in people's lives are not just perceived barriers they are real barriers and advocates to change them. Erik is a motivational speaker, who speaks around the world. He inspires people with his drive and passion to eliminate people's barriers in their own lives.

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Families and first-person accounts part 5:

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Families and first-person accounts part 5:

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This video stars Tommy Edison. Tommy Edison has been blind since birth in this video he talks about the great things about being blind. This bubbly video is both funny and enlightening. Some of the benefits of being blind include Tommy getting to go on the airplane first, special treatment at amusement parks, and drinking and driving. He also doesn't have car payments. He gets to ride the bus for cheaper and sometimes for free because "they don't want to bother the blind guy" Tommy jokes. His bills are cheaper his lights are hardly on. He cannot see race or beauty so he falls in love or makes connections based on people's hearts. His senses are better, and he makes a wise-cracking joke exclaiming all of his senses are better and it is not a myth. Sometimes people take pity on Tommy and give him money. He doesn't have to watch himself or others grow old. This video was very amusing, I enjoyed it and it also opened your eyes to the benefits of being blind. And how people treat people who are blind. At the beginning of the video Tommy talks about how people are always "You poor guy" "How do you do it?" and other pitying phrases Tommy experiences.

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Future Reflections Special Issue on Advocacy

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Assistive Technology Guide

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Strength based learning and tips

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Primary School Teacher Strategies for Blind and low vision | AllPlay Learn

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Learn how visual impairment might look like in primary students, understand common strengths and use evidence-based strategies to support students who are blind or have low vision, and view relevant resources that can help to create an inclusive environment at school.

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About Strategies for blind and low vision. Communication checklist.

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About blind and low vision

'Blind and low vision' refers to significant and ongoing challenges with the ability to see. Some children may be considered 'legally blind' if they cannot see beyond six metres (compared to 60 metres for a child with normal vision) or if their visual field is less than 20 degrees in diameter (compared to 140 degrees for a child with normal vision). Some children may be considered to have 'low vision' if they have permanent vision loss that cannot be corrected with glasses and their ability to complete everyday tasks is affected. Children with low vision may have some sight, but experience difficulties with visual acuity (being able to see detail), accommodation (being able to focus), field of vision (the area that can be seen), colour vision and adapting to different lighting between environments.

As an educator knowing about the type and severity of vision impairment a child has will help you know how best to support them. Some children might be learning to read Braille, or use low vision aid technology like electronic magnifiers, closed-circuit television or tablets. They might need large print materials. Understanding each child's strengths and abilities will allow you to develop ideas about ways to make education safe, fun, and as inclusive as possible.

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Educator Strategies for Blind and low vision | AllPlay Learn

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Learn how blind and low vision might look like in young children, understand common strengths and use evidence-based strategies to support children who are blind or low vision or have a visual impairment, consider the Early Years Learning and Development Outcomes, and view relevant resources that can help to create an inclusive environment at early childhood education and care settings.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.