What Does It Mean to Be Legally Blind?

Legal blindness is a term used in law to describe a person's vision loss severe enough to qualify them for certain benefits and accommodations. It's important to distinguish legal blindness from total blindness, which means a person has no light perception at all. Legally blind individuals retain some degree of vision, but their field of vision, visual acuity, or both may be significantly impaired.

Here are the common criteria used to define legal blindness:

Central Visual Acuity (VA): Central VA is the ability to see objects clearly in the center of your field of vision. A person is legally blind if their best-corrected central VA in the better-seeing eye is 20/200 or worse. This means that they can see an object from 20 feet away that a person with normal vision can see from 200 feet away.

Visual Field (VF): VF refers to the entire range of vision you have when you look straight ahead without moving your eyes. A person is considered legally blind if they have a visual field of 20 degrees or less in the better-seeing eye.

Combination of VA and VF: Some people may have a slightly better VA but an extremely limited VF, or vice versa. In such cases, a person may be considered legally blind if their combined VA and VF limitations significantly impair their ability to perform daily activities.

It's worth noting that legal blindness definitions can vary slightly among different countries and may be subject to specific criteria and regulations set by government agencies or organizations responsible for providing services and support to visually impaired individuals. Additionally, the term "legally blind" is mainly used for determining eligibility for legal rights, benefits, and accommodations, such as disability benefits, accessible transportation services, assistive technology, and educational support.