If you are legally blind on the last day of the year and do not report deductions, you are entitled to a higher standard deduction than non-disabled people. Since the term legal blindness and the corresponding test criteria were created to meet the requirements of Social Security disability, the Social Security Administration is the main body that definitively determines a person`s legal blindness. People often ask about the difference between being blind and being „legally blind.“ Because „blindness“ can mean many different things, blindness under the law is the threshold at which a person is considered visually impaired for legal purposes, such as insurance purposes, to receive certain benefits, or to be accepted into various programs. 2. Legal blindness is blindness within the meaning of sections 216(i)(1) and 1614(a)(2) of the Social Security Act. Specific safe cooking techniques can be found at VisionAware, from chopping and peeling fruits and vegetables, to measuring and pouring liquids, cooking and analyzing food for their skill. And once the food is cooked and on the table, various feeding techniques such as navigating a place and locating the food on a plate can make a meal more enjoyable for people who are legally blind. By combining the capabilities of fire, water, electricity and sharp blades in one room, the kitchen can be the most dangerous room in the house for sighted and legally blind people. The difference is that visually impaired people need to go beyond visual precautions and make larger preparations and modifications to cook safely and effectively in their kitchen. You may be surprised to learn that it is Uncle Sam, not the doctor, who determines whether you are legally blind. The Social Security Administration`s „Blue Book“ thus clarifies its basic criteria for legal blindness: What are the main causes of blindness? According to the National Eye Institute, there are four main causes of blindness in the United States.
Normal visibility is 20/20. This means that you can clearly see an object from 20 feet away. If you are legally blind, your vision is 20/200 or less in your best eye or your field of vision is less than 20 degrees. That is, if an object is 200 feet away, you must stand 20 feet away from it to see it clearly. But a person with normal vision can stand at 200 feet and see this object perfectly. Legally blind due to visual field limitationThe visual field, roughly, is the distance at which you can see objects. While visual acuity tests measure your central vision and its clarity, visual field tests measure what you can see on the edges of your vision or peripheral vision. For example, some people may see the smallest letters on an eyechart, but may not see a person standing right next to them due to poor peripheral vision.
These people have a visual field limitation. They rely on peripheral vision for critical activities such as driving or crossing a busy street. The importance of a wide field of view becomes especially evident when you consider how often and how much you rely on it throughout the day. Visual field tests are completely different from central visual acuity tests. Your ophthalmologist`s goal when assessing your peripheral vision is to determine if you have a standard field of view without abnormal blind spots or extreme narrowing of peripheral vision. If you are completely blind, you cannot see any light or shape. Among people with eye diseases, only about 15% can see nothing at all. If you are legally blind, you can still see, but not so clearly. A thorough understanding of legal blindness and related regulations can make it easier for people who are legally blind and their lawyers to navigate government programs designed to provide assistance.
It can also help others understand the concerns and problems that people who are legally blind face every day. The reason some people use this term is because there are many different types of „blindness.“ People mistakenly believe that all blind people see only darkness or literally nothing at all. In fact, blindness may involve seeing colors or light, or having greater visual acuity in some parts of their field of vision, while others are blurred or absent. If you lost your sight, communication probably seemed much easier. Even if you were born blind, you still know the barriers that communication can pose. The good news is that there are many practices and new technologies that can make communication faster and easier. About 80% of blind people have residual vision. It can be difficult to understand how a person with a particular eye condition can see some things while not seeing others. While some people lose a lot of vision in a short time, others slowly lose vision.
Many diseases that cause blindness begin to affect a certain part of vision and then progress to remove more vision. For example, macular degeneration initially affects a person`s central vision (the vision that makes us see straight ahead). Visual examples of what individuals might see if they have diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa can be found on the National Eye Institute`s website at www.nei.nih.gov. The government uses the term „statutory blindness“ to decide who can receive certain benefits, such as disability or vocational training. This is not the same as being completely blind. At the state level, assistance programs designed to benefit legally blind and other visually impaired persons often tend to address basic needs such as rehabilitation, vocational training, schooling, support for independent living, assistive technologies, etc. „Legally blind“ is the definition of blindness used by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) to determine whether a person is eligible for disability benefits, tax exemptions, and training for the visually impaired.