Have you ever wondered what it means to be "legally blind"?

Some people use the term to describe their vision without eyeglasses or contact lenses if their uncorrected refractive error makes them feel visually disabled (unable to drive a car, for example). Others assume it means the same thing as total blindness (complete lack of form and light perception).

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What does being legally blind due to "reduced central visual acuity of 20/200 or less" mean? In the United States, clarity of eyesight almost always is expressed by a measurement system called Snellen visual acuity. In this system, you identify smaller and smaller letters on an eye chart, and the results are expressed as a fraction standardized for a viewing distance of 20 feet.

Read the full article from All About Vision

Dr. Dexter's Take

How many times have you had your patients tell you that they are "legally blind?" A lot of people don't understand what this term means. Some people consider themselves to be "legally blind" without their glasses or contact lenses, and some people don't realize that legal blindness can also be due to restriction of the peripheral vision.

This article explains what legal blindness means and conditions that could result in legal blindness, in addition to simulations of what visual impairment due to visual acuity and visual field loss looks like. This can be a great educational tool for your patients, and can also help you understand what certain visual impairments that your patients may be dealing with look like!