Visual

Impairment
• Visual impairment (VI) refers
to a significant functional loss
of vision that cannot be
corrected by medication,
surgical operation, or
ordinary optical lenses such as
spectacles.
Loss of visual field:
• Photophobia- inability to look at
sight
• Diplopia- double vision
• Visual distortion or distortion of
images
• Visual perceptual difficulties or
difficulties of perception
• Or any combination of the above
features
Levels Of Visual
Impairment
1. MILD VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
• Can read relatively larger characters
• No difficulty in identifying shapes,
colours and brightness contracts
2. MODERATE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
• Can tell shapes and colours of objects
and can distinguish between
brightness and darkness.
•Can only read characters with larger
size and broader strokes.
3. SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT:
•Can only distinguish more obvious
changes in brightness and darkness.
• May not see anything (completely
blind).
TYPES OF VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT:
• Low visual acuity
• Blindness
• Legal blindness
• Visual acuity
SYMPTOMS :
• Daily Activities: Squinting to
get an object in focus,
Trouble locating familiar
objects in a familiar
environment, Wearing
mismatched clothing.
• Mobility: Leaning against
the wall when walking ,
Running into objects,
Difficulty walking on uneven
surfaces.
• Eating/Drinking: Difficulty
getting food onto a utensil
and serving from a platter,
Frequently spilling food

• Reading/Writing: Difficulty
writing on the lines of a
piece of paper, Frequent
complaining that the lighting
is inadequate for reading or
writing
Causes
1. Inherited conditions of
blindness and vision
impairment
2. Infections of the eyes
3. AIDS related visual
impairment
Injury to Eyes Amblyopia

Cataract
Trachoma Diabetic retinopathy
Glaucoma Age Macular
degeneration
Cancer of eyes
 EPIDEMIOLOGY
• By age: More than 82%
of all people who are
blind are 50 years of age
and older. 1.4 million
blind children below age
15.
• By gender: females have a
significantly higher risk of being
visually impaired than males.
• By geography: . More than 90% of
the world's visually impaired live in
developing countries.
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS:

Many people are uncomfortable with

communicating with the blind, and
this can cause communication barriers
 .
• Lack of facial expressions, mimics, or
body gestures/responses
• Non-verbal gestures that could imply
the visually impaired individual not
appearing interested
• Speaking when not anticipated or not
speaking when anticipated
• Fear of offending the visually impaired
• Standing too close and invading the
personal comfort level
• Having to exercise or ignore feelings
of pity
• Being uncomfortable with touching
objects or people.
• A look of detachment or
disengagement.
• Dependency
Diagnosis
Tests for visual impairment
1. Snellen test

• Also known as the visual

acuity test.
• Snellen’s chart is used.
2. Visual field test
• a person can see without tilting or
turning one’s head.
• This measures the peripheral vision
of the eyes.
3. Tonometry test
• uses specialized instruments to
determine fluid pressure inside the
eye to evaluate for glaucoma.
4. Ocular Motility Assessment
• This tests if there is squint of other
problems in the movement of the
eyeballs.
 Other tests:

• Visually evoked
potential (VEP)
• Electroretinogram
(ERG)
• Electro-oculogram
(EOG)
Treatment
• Control of diabetes
• Cotaract surgery
• Magnification systems
• Glaucoma
• Drugs: The drugs may include Beta-
blockers like betaxolol hydrochloride
or carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
dorzolamide and Sympathomimetics
like brimonidine tartrate.
Optical aids
• -Improving far sight:
TV,Theater, Cinema
• -Improving near sight:
Reading, Writing, Crafts
• -Improving sensitivity
to contrast:Special
lights,Magnified
games,Watches,special
phones, etc.
EDUCATING CHILDREN
WITH VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT
• What is IDEA?
• Three basic elements in educating visually
impaired children
-specialized services, books and materials in
appropriate media (including braille), as well
as specialized equipment and technology
-a full range of program options and
support services so that the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) team can select the
most appropriate placement
-be adequate personnel preparation
programs to train staff to provide specialized
services which address the unique academic
and non-academic curriculum needs
• COMPUTERS
• PHONICS
• ELECTRONIC AIDS
 INSTITUTIONS FOR
VISUALLY IMPAIRED
CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN
AKAB SCHOOL FOR
BLIND:
Established in 2000
Located in Mirpur Azad
Kashmir

Aziz Jehan Begum Trust

for the Blind:
established in 1989 by Ms.
Salma Kishwar Jan
Ida Rieu School:
founded in 1923 in Karachi

Government High School

for Blind Girls:
Shamsabad, Rawalpindi

Govt. Sunrise Institute for

the Blind:
Ravi Road, Lahore
PREVENTION
• Regular eye examinations:
Most people should have their eyes
tested at least once every two years.
It is very important for drivers and
people whose eyesight may be
affected by their occupation, such as
those who use computer monitors,
to have regular eye examinations
Children should also have regular eye
examinations.
- The Health Service Executive (HSE)
is obliged to provide optical services
free of charge to certain groups.
There are several other ways to
reduce the risk of visual impairment:
• Protect your eyes from the sun.
Ultra violet (UV) rays from the sun
can damage your eyesight so in bright
sunlight, wear a pair of good-quality
sunglasses that protect your eyes from
both UVA and UVB rays.
• Find out whether there is a
history of glaucoma or eye
disease in your family.
• Hypertension-Hypertension is
when the pressure of the blood
in your bloodstream is regularly
above 140/90 mmHG.
• Pain- Pain is an unpleasant
physical or emotional feeling
that your body produces as a
warning sign that it has been
damaged.
 CONCLUSION:
Visual impairment is increasing
especially among older people.
Communication and different ways of
being able to communicate with
visually impaired clients must be
tailored to individual needs and
available at all times.