Blindness

It is a lack of vision or loss of vision

that cannot be corrected with glasses
or contact lenses
 Causes
• Cataracts ,Glaucoma, Trauma, Trachoma
• Macular degeneration, Diabetic retinopathy
• Childhood blindness – genetic defects
• Onchocerciasis or river blindness caused by
parasite filarial worm onchocerca volvulus
• Pregnancy related – if mother is having
retinopathy and rubella during pregnancy
• Optic nerve hypoplasia
• Poisoning – methylated spirits – ethanol
• Willful actions – torture
 Systemic diseases
• Hypertension – uncontrolled hypertension can
cause hemorrhage, edema and exudates in
the retina.
• Cardiovascular accident – depending of the
location of stroke the patient may experience
hemianopia or blindness
• Sickle cell disease – can cause arterial
occlusion or retinal hemorrhage
• Neurological disorders – multiple sclerosis
(demyelination can result in optic neuritis )
• Endocrine disorders – diabetic retinopathy
• HERPES ZOSTER
• Cytomegalovirus
• Kaposis sarcoma
 Types
• Absolute blindness or total – defined as no
light perception and no usable vision
• Functional blindness – some light perception
but no usable vision
• Preventive blindness – persons with eye
disorders which is well treated.
• legal blindness
• Congenital blindness
 Rehabilitation of a blind person
• Blindness may be present at birth or develop
(suddenly or slowly) at any time in an
individuals life.
• Rehabilitation of a newly blinded person often
begins in hospital and continues after the
person goes home.
Meeting and Greeting
• Always ask first before offering any help
• Be precise if giving instructions – giving
directions by pointing and saying, ‘it is down
there on the right’, is not much helpful.
• Once into a conversation, never leave without
saying. Do not allow the blind person the
embarrassment of talking into the air.
• Before leaving tell the person who all are there
left in the room.
Approach and Attitude
• Always treat a blind person normally; speak first and
introduce yourself
• Shake hands but only if a hand is offered
• It is also politeness to look at him/her during conversation
and adopt the same level of position, e.g., sit or stand
• Do not be afraid of using normal language and include
words like ‘look’, ‘see’, ‘read’, remembering that blind and
visually impaired people have exactly the same vocabulary
as sighted people
• do not shout
Guiding
• Always consider a person's age and any other disabilities
• Ask for details of where and how he/she would like to be
guided. Go at their place and, if there is space, walk side by
side and always ‘hand to arm’
• If there is a guide dog, but extra help is needed,
approach and walk on the other side. The animal
has been trained to understand that he is still in
charge and responsible.
• Give adequate, plenty of time for response if
you need to say, “bend your head low to avoid
this tree branch.”
• Describe any sudden changes in the
environment. It is also very important to explain
changes in ground surfaces and especially when
moving into wide open spaces, e.g., fields.
Walking (e.g., in shops,
offices and busy crowded
areas)
• Tell your partner the
change in surroundings and
then move your own
guiding arm towards the
middle of your own back
• Your partner should
automatically step in
behind you, still holding
your arm, and together you
will be able to negotiate a
narrow space.
Doorways
• It is important to take this
maneuver (movement) very
slowly; it is not an easy one to
master
• Tell your partner if the door
opens towards you or away
from you
• Go through the door with your
partner on the hinge side
• Open the door with your
guiding arm; your partner
should place his/her hand
against the door to feel the
handle
• He/she should then follow you
through and close the door
behind both of you.
Seating
• Guide your partner to
the seat and explain
what type it is – e.g.,
upright chair, low sofa,
armchair, stool
• Ask them to let go of
your arm and place
their hand on the back
or the seat of the chair
• This is sufficient to help
as your partner will
now be able to judge
the height of the seat
and will be able to sit
safely and at his/her
own pace.
Steps, Stairs and Slopes
• Tell your partner whether the
steps, stairs or slope go up or
down. Going down is more
difficult.
• Allow your partner plenty of
time to hold the handrail
securely and judge the first
step carefully
• Go one step ahead and take a
slightly longer stride on the
last step to allow your
partner space
 Mobility
• Now a wide range of tools and techniques are
available so that the blind persons can walk
independently
• Orientation and mobility specialists – they
train the blind peoples to get used to these
tools
• The environment and the route from house to
house is also being teach
• White cane with red tip – the
international symbol of blindness
• Blind peoples will have identification
card
• Guide dogs –dogs which specially
trained are now a days very helpful.
They are specially trained about the
environment and the route the person
has to go
• GPS devices – software can assist blind
people with orientation and navigation
 Reading and magnification
• If the person is not completely blind, he can
read large print and with the use of
magnification devices
• Braille language – tactile writing system used
by the blind.
• Reading machines
 Other aids and techniques
• Talking equipment such as thermometers,
watches, clocks, scales, calculators and
compasses
• Adaptations of coins and bank notes are
determined by touch
 Legal blindness
• Defined as visual acuity of 20/200 (6/60) or
less in the better eye with best correction
possible
• This means that a legally blind individual
would have to stand 20 feet from an object to
see it with corrective lenses with the same
degree of clarity as a normally sighted person
could from 200 feet.
 Sports
• Swimming, snow skiing and athletics
• World wide authority on sports for the blind is
the international blind sports federation