Is - 5.5 eyesight legally blind

Visiting your optician or optometrist for an eye prescription, you may find yourself immersed in a new and unfamiliar world.

This means that, without eyewear, they would not be able to see well enough to see certain things, drive, and so on. Many people who would be legally blind without eyewear can function well in everyday life with appropriate glasses or contact lenses. In fact, blindness can include seeing some colors or light, or having greater visual acuity in some parts of their field of vision while others are blurry or absent. If someone cannot distinguish that letter with their prescribed eyewear, they are considered legally blind. View all posts by: innexus. What Does it Mean to be Legally Blind? Written by innexus View all posts by: innexus.

Is - 5.5 eyesight legally blind

Well, there are actually several different issues at work here, so a "Yes or No" answer is not possible. First: What does it mean to be " legally blind? But the trick here is not what you see "naturally" with your naked eyes , but how well you see with your glasses or contacts. Second: If your two eyes are quite different in the amount of "refractive error" i. This is called amblyopia , often called "lazy eye" although I think the latter term insults the work ethic of the worse eye. Third: Let us say your This does not mean you cannot treat such severe myopia, but it does suggest you should be prepared in advance for one eye being somewhat better than the other, even with full refractive correction. I think not. Most reputable, experienced ophthalmologists won't do LASIK over about -8 because there will be so much thinning of the cornea, late stability issues are a definite potential problem. These can be serious. A "hit and run" ophthalmologist might go ahead and do it, knowing s he will be long gone before that problem arises. A LASIK clinic may not care because if the problem does arise as long as they get paid: they will blame the surgeon ophthalmologist and claim to just be the venue for the doctor's practice Caveat Emptor.

There are many signs that you may need glasses. These include:.

The U. Social Security Administration SSA uses this term to determine who is eligible for certain disability benefits, tax exemptions, and low-vision training. This means that a legally blind person has to stand 20 feet away from an object to see it clearly. People with normal vision can stand feet away from that same object and see it clearly. However, their peripheral vision is poor. People with normal vision have a lateral field view of almost degrees.

The U. Social Security Administration SSA uses this term to determine who is eligible for certain disability benefits, tax exemptions, and low-vision training. This means that a legally blind person has to stand 20 feet away from an object to see it clearly. People with normal vision can stand feet away from that same object and see it clearly. However, their peripheral vision is poor. People with normal vision have a lateral field view of almost degrees.

Is - 5.5 eyesight legally blind

Visiting your optician or optometrist for an eye prescription, you may find yourself immersed in a new and unfamiliar world. While your eye doctor will walk you through it and try to explain as much as possible, you may find that you need particular answers on certain eye questions that you encounter in your life. One of those questions may center on this whole concept of legal blindness. Because of this, it is important to understand whether your eye prescription is considered legally blind. With this knowledge in hand, you can jump through some of these procedural hoops and obtain some of the available benefits if you are legally blind. Before talking about how your eye prescription tells you whether you are legally blind, it is critical to further explore what legal blindness actually is. To put it simply, legal blindness in the United States is measured by looking at your central visual acuity and your field of vision. Your central visual acuity is essentially what is in front of you. As you can guess, your field of vision is then what you see to the sides, above, and below you. To test your vision, your optometrist or optician will make you look at a Snellen chart, which is the familiar chart of mixed letters that you read from a distance of about 20 feet.

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Vision Loss. The best way to prevent vision loss is to take care of your overall health including your eyes. Other resources, such as educational scholarships and guide dog programs , are available through nonprofits and support group connections. Your Results With the results from your visual acuity and visual field tests — which are performed while wearing your glasses or contacts — the eye specialist will determine if you are severely sight impaired or blind. Some people with legal blindness have a kind of tunnel vision. Snellen Chart. By contrast, a person with normal vision i. Many people who would be legally blind without eyewear can function well in everyday life with appropriate glasses or contact lenses. Visual acuity refers to the clarity of vision and how clearly an individual can see. He or she will be able to further describe your prescription and the consequences of being legally blind. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But there are wide ranges of individual experience, from your ability to cook and complete other independent lifestyle tasks, to doing puzzles and other favorite hobbies. Click here to schedule an appointment , get insurance forms , and get answers to your questions. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Huang enjoys educating patients on how to lead healthier and happier lives.

This means that, without eyewear, they would not be able to see well enough to see certain things, drive, and so on. Many people who would be legally blind without eyewear can function well in everyday life with appropriate glasses or contact lenses.

Snellen Chart. They then hold up one or more fingers in different quadrants of the visual field to find out if you can see them while keeping your eyes focused on a central point ahead. Submit For specific medical advice, please consult a doctor. She collaborates with editors and medical experts to produce credible, easily digestible articles on vision and eye health. Visual field test. Protecting Your Eyes Steps you can take to safeguard your sight include maintaining a healthy weight which could put you at risk of developing diabetes , wearing eye protection for certain activities such as sports , and eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. What is your feedback? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. You can expect a reply from our customer service team in a few hours. If your prescription is What does legally blind mean?