Requirements To Be Legally Blind

The medical rules we use to decide whether you are blind are the same for each program.
Requirements to be legally blind. Answer your doctor will check your vision during a standard eye exam. Definition of legal blindness states this about visual field. That means that your better seeing eye must have a bcva that is equal to or worse than 20 200. Unlike those who are totally blind meaning they can t see anything at all out of either eye most people who truly are legally blind have some vision according to the american foundation for the blind.
More than 1 1 million americans are legally blind. The social security disability insurance program and the supplemental security income ssi program. An eye which is accompanied by a. Learn what legal blindness means and what can be done about it.
We pay benefits to people who are blind under two programs. Confirmation of legal blindness. Under the new criteria if a person s visual acuity is measured with one of the newer charts and they cannot read any of the letters on the 20 100 line they will qualify as legally blind based on a visual acuity of 20 200 or less. He or she will measure your eyesight while you re wearing glasses or contact lenses.
Part 2 of the u s. A visual field that is constricted to the central 20 degrees or less commonly referred to as tunnel vision. 2 an individual shall be considered to be blind for purposes of this title if he has central visual acuity of 20 200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens. Webmd helps you understand what it means to be legally blind.
Legally blind is not total blindness. Learn what legal blindness means and what can be done about it. Getting an eye exam is the best thing you can do for yourself. Try out this interactive simulation to see the difference between normal vision legally blind and in between.
Consulting a doctor on your vision can help you better understand if you re losing your vision. The threshold of legal blindness in the u s is 20 200. Federal definition 10 of blindness in the supplemental security incomeprogram under title xvi of the social security act currently states. Also a person who has normal vision but an impaired visual field can qualify as legally blind.
If you re blind or have low vision. If you re legally blind or think that you might be then you need to go a step farther than just asking what is legally blind. The normal visual field is 180 degrees and the person must have 20 degrees or less.