My eyesight is quite terrible. I am -9.5 for both eyes and I'm only 18! I remember my eye doctors telling me that I'm legally blind, what exactly does being legally blind mean?
2007-10-19 20:08:50 · 9 answers · asked by Duchess of Cookieshire 6 in Health ➔ Optical
The thing you need to know is that legally blind only refers to best-corrected vision, not uncorrected. Like in my office, I tell my patients I want to know what you can see, not what you can't see. Legally blind is defined as with best correction, your better seeing eye sees worse than 20/200. That means if one eye sees 20/400 and the other sees 20/20, then you are not legally blind. The definition also involves visual field restrictions of less than 20 degrees (most people have around 120 degrees). Hope this helps.
2007-10-20 03:51:52 · answer #1 · answered by drgreg_od 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My husband is legally blind and is 27 years old. Here is a definiation for you:
"In North America and most of Europe, legal blindness is defined as visual acuity (vision) of 20/200 (6/60) or less in the better eye with best correction possible. This means that a legally blind individual would have to stand 20 feet (6 m) from an object to see it with the same degree of clarity as a normally sighted person could from 200 feet (60 m). In many areas, people with average acuity who nonetheless have a visual field of less than 20 degrees (the norm being 180 degrees) are also classified as being legally blind. Approximately ten percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision. The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity. Low vision is sometimes used to describe visual acuities from 20/70 to 20/200."
2007-10-19 20:19:48 · answer #2 · answered by RainCloud 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it is really depending on your corrected visual acuity.... meaning how well your vision can be corrected.... if your vision corrected (wearing glasses/contact lenses) is worse then 20/200 then in most places you would be considered legally blind. If your vision can be corrected to better then 20/200 then you are not! So its not about your vision without glasses... it is your vision with best possible correction.
It is likely when you wear your glasses that you can see close to what a normal person could see.... maybe not quite 20/20 but probably well enough so you can legally drive. Without your glasses you probably see just as bad as a person that is legally blind with their glasses...... I found this article that can help explain this further http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20021031.html check it out!
Anyways hope this helps a bit :)
2007-10-19 20:18:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Basically, it means that your eyesght is so poor that you cannot clearly see in any given situation or distance without aid such as contacts or glasses. In some States, you would not be allowed to drive under this circumstance.
2007-10-19 20:16:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
it means you cannot read the large letter {20/200} @ the very top of the eye chart you must wear strong prescription glasses to be able to read and even for everyday seeing. unfortunately you will probably not pass the vision test for a drivers license
2007-10-19 20:21:52 · answer #5 · answered by jst4pat 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I've heard a simple description is that the person doesn't have good enough vision to be able to drive a car.
2007-10-19 20:37:27 · answer #6 · answered by RoVale 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
u r handy capted and u get state advatages like ur utilitys is lower and stuff ur like legally handy capped
my sista is legally blind
2007-10-19 20:37:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
why don't blind people sky dive?
because it scares the **** outta the dog
2007-10-19 20:16:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
what if someone was illegally blind?
2007-10-19 20:12:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋