Information on the Visually Impaired

People without impairments often take their senses for granted. Vision, for instance, plays one of the most important roles in most people's daily lives and many hardly think twice about their ability to see. Those with visual impairments, however, understand how important it is to value any senses you have. Visual impairments affect a large number of people around the world, from slight impairment to complete blindness. Visual impairment impacts daily life for those affected, occasionally leading to some discrimination. In some cases, this impairment can be treated.

Who is Affected

• The World Health Organization reports that around the world as of 2009, 314 million people have some form of visual impairment, with 45 million of those being blind. People aged 50 and above represent 82 percent of those that experience visual impairment. On the opposite end, 13.4 million children below the age of 15 have visual impairment; 1.4 million of those are blind. Of the people with visual impairment, 87 percent live within developing countries. Vision problems occur more often in women than men, regardless of age or global region.

Visual Impairment Companions

• Because of the way the world caters to those with vision, those with low vision or no vision need specific aids to help with daily life. Seeing eye companions, like dogs or small ponies, commonly help those with reduced vision and blindness with walking and household tasks such as answering the phone. Organizations like The Seeing Eye and the Guide Horse Foundation often offer companions to those with visual impairment for low or no cost.

Technological Help

• Technology has also advanced to help those with low or no vision function well independently. Computers feature spoken controls for those with visual impairments, and many companies produce software specifically to allow those with low or no vision to use computers easily. Books can be purchased in large print or Braille. Telephones can be purchased with larger keys and numbers or features that announce an incoming phone call. In the work place, voice-activated office equipment makes things easier for those with lowered vision. Employers may specially-order this equipment from manufacturers. For home, products to help daily life can be purchased online or found through visual impairment organizations.

Treatments

• While blindness cannot be treated currently, other visual impairments may be treatable. For instance, those with conditions like astigmatism, near-sightedness and far-sightedness have the option of wearing corrective lenses or contacts in order to treat their vision problems. Cataracts may be treated surgically. If the person is a surgical candidate, the surgeon cuts away the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial lens.

Prevention

• According to the World Health Organization, 85 percent of visual impairment and 75 percent of blindness worldwide can be prevented. The leading causes of blindness include conditions such as cataracts, refractive errors such as near- or far-sightedness, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Other factors such as disease, corneal scars and vitamin A deficiency contribute to visual impairment. Organizations that promote vision health and development work to advance eye health practices around the world and raise awareness of the importance of eye health. These organizations aim to eliminate preventable visual impairment.