Originally posted by MrsBones
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MS blindness?
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Originally posted by jazzgirl View Post[B]I WAS legally blind in ONE EYE years ago (20/400) ...
The other common misconception is that someone with good best-corrected vision is or "becomes" legally blind when they aren't wearing their glasses/contacts. That's another impossibility, because the definition of legal blindness applies only to best-corrected vision.
(As an aside, acuity/field specification is the usual method of determining legal blindness. There is also another esoteric method that was developed in the early part of the last century that's so rarely used that, in more than 20 years, I never saw it used by anyone, anywhere. But someone, somewhere must still be using it because a version of it still appears in the Social Security disability code.)
What makes the term "legally blind" so commonly misunderstood or misinterpreted is that it isn't a medical definition. It's only what it's name implies -- a legal definition. It doesn't really describe visual function except to establish a cut-off point to determine when a person is so visually impaired that they can be considered blind and thus eligible for legal benefits such as disability payments and tax benefits. Many people use the term loosely to describe generally poor vision even in just one eye, but that's a perversion of the term and misleading.
I spent years in the field of low vision rehabilitation, and I have to agree that MrsBones' descriptions in this thread are pretty darned good!
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I spent years in the field of low vision rehabilitation, and I have to agree that MrsBones' descriptions in this thread are pretty darned good!
That's the thing. See at my last opth appt the doctor felt that I could drive and I was fine. He just said not a good idea to go at night. But when I went to see my neuro my aunt was like can she drive. He never gave a solid answer his exact words were "That's a good question."
Wow! Quite a can of worms I accidentally opened. By 'blind' I meant losing sight completely. MrsBones pretty much wrote the ending word on this subject though, very good information.
Now, Redwings... can you direct me to a reliable source for some low vision products? Mom Mom had some really useful gadgets.....
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Originally posted by Redwings View PostThat's a common misconception. The definition of legal blindness makes it impossible to be legally blind in one eye unless the person has only one eye. A person meets the definition of legal blindness only when the better eye meets the acuity/field requirement. So a person must be significantly impaired in both eyes at the same time to be considered legally blind. It doesn't matter how bad the worse eye is if the better eye doesn't meet the acuity/field requirement. The definition also doesn't take into account how bad the better eye is as long as it doesn't meet the acuity/field requirement.
The other common misconception is that someone with good best-corrected vision is or "becomes" legally blind when they aren't wearing their glasses/contacts. That's another impossibility, because the definition of legal blindness applies only to best-corrected vision.
(As an aside, acuity/field specification is the usual method of determining legal blindness. There is also another esoteric method that was developed in the early part of the last century that's so rarely used that, in more than 20 years, I never saw it used by anyone, anywhere. But someone, somewhere must still be using it because a version of it still appears in the Social Security disability code.)
What makes the term "legally blind" so commonly misunderstood or misinterpreted is that it isn't a medical definition. It's only what it's name implies -- a legal definition. It doesn't really describe visual function except to establish a cut-off point to determine when a person is so visually impaired that they can be considered blind and thus eligible for legal benefits such as disability payments and tax benefits. Many people use the term loosely to describe generally poor vision even in just one eye, but that's a perversion of the term and misleading.
I spent years in the field of low vision rehabilitation, and I have to agree that MrsBones' descriptions in this thread are pretty darned good!“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” Ernest Hemingway
Diagnosed 1979
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MS Blindness
I HAD A MIGRAINE HEADACHE FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY AN EPISODE OF ON IN MY LEFT EYE(JUNE 2003). I LOST MY SIGHT IN THAT EYE AND IT HAS NEVER RETURNED. MY NEURO AMD NEURO OPTHMALOGIST SAID THIS IS VERY RARE FOR MS, BUT CAN HAPPEN. IT IS TOTALLY BLACK OUT OF THAT EYE, BUT I STILL DRIVE. MY OTHER EYE IS JUST FINE 20/25. THIS IS HOW MY BATTLE WITH MS STARTED.
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