Identifying Sight Loss

Common Symptoms of Sight Loss
Common Misconceptions About Sight Loss
Emotional Impact of Sight Loss

Common Symptoms of Sight Loss

There are a number of symptoms that may indicate the onset of an eye disease. A comprehensive eye exam should be scheduled if any of these signs of potential eye problems develops. Early detection and treatment can be the key to preventing needless loss of sight.

Typical symptoms may include:

• Trouble adjusting eyesight to dark rooms or outside at night
• Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects
• Squinting or blinking due to unusual sensitivity to light or glare
• Inflamed or red eyes or swollen eyelids
• Recurrent pain in or around eyes
• Dark spot at center of viewing
• Double vision
• Seeing spots or ghost-like images

The following symptoms may be indications of more serious problems, and an ophthalmologist should be consulted as soon as possible:

• Sudden loss of vision in one eye
• Sudden hazy or blurred vision
• Flashes of light or showers of black spots
• Halos or rainbows around lights
• Loss of peripheral (side) vision

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Common Misconceptions About Sight Loss

There are many misconceptions about vision loss and blindness among the general public. Here are some of them:

All blind people are totally blind.

There is a wide spectrum of sight loss among people who are legally blind, ranging from slight impairment of vision all the way to total  blindness. Only about 10 percent of legally blind people are totally blind. The majority of people who are blind have some degree of vision remaining.

Legal blindness means total blindness.

Legal blindness is a term used by the IRS and other agencies to determine whether a person is eligible for disability benefits or other services. Legal blindness does not necessarily mean total blindness. You are considered legally blind if the central vision in your better eye, with the best correction possible, is no better than 20/200 (20/20 being normal); or if your peripheral vision is no greater than 20 degrees diameter in your better eye.

All blind people can read braille.

Only about 10 percent of people who are blind or visually impaired can read and write braille.

There is no treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

There are two types of AMD—“wet” and “dry.” The wet form can often be successfully treated with laser surgery to prevent further vision loss if caught early. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for the dry form. However, most people with AMD will not become totally blind and will retain some peripheral vision.

“I’d be legally blind without my glasses.”

This is incorrect, as an important qualification of legal blindness is the phrase “with best correction.” A person is legally blind only if their vision is so impaired that even while wearing the best glasses that doctors can prescribe, they are not able to read the big “E” on the doctor’s eye chart.

People who lose sight are compensated by a sixth sense that helps them identify their surroundings.

People who are blind do not develop any new special sense, but learn to use their remaining senses more acutely. Thus, the senses themselves may seem to be enhanced.

A person who is legally blind can damage their remaining eyesight through continued use.

Eyes cannot be weakened or damaged further by normal use. People should not be afraid to use their remaining sight, often with the help of special lights and magnifiers.

People who are blind can perform only limited types of work.

With the technology available today, or with some minor accommodations, a wide range of occupations is easily accessible to people who are visually impaired. Examples of the occupations in which blind people have been successfully employed are:

• Account clerk
• Travel agent
• Attorney
• Customer service representative
• Electrical engineer
• Stock broker
• Teacher
• Medical transcriber

When talking with a blind person, you should avoid words such as “see,” “look” or “blind.”

A person who is blind will feel more comfortable if you use the words you normally use with sighted people. They will not feel offended.

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Emotional Impact of Sight Loss

The loss of vision, whether sudden or gradual, has a dramatic, often devastating effect on a person’s life. Successful adjustment to the world without sight requires much more than merely learning to overcome physical obstacles.

Counseling is often necessary with people who have lost, or are losing, vision. At many Braille Institute centers, trained counselors are available to help people deal with such emotional issues as loss of control, denial, dependence on others, re-emergence of old psychological issues and conflicts and feelings of grief, fear, isolation, depression and lowered self-esteem.

Adjustment to sight loss is ongoing, something that many people never totally overcome. But with sympathetic counseling and training, such as that offered by the many Braille Institute classes, most people can learn to adapt to new ways of doing things and learn to live fulfilling lives without sight.

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