When Are You Considered to Be Legally Blind?

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2019/10/05 - Updated: 2024/04/05
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: Blindness and Vision Loss - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Information and definitions in regards to legal blindness, low vision, total blindness and lack of visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors. In North America and most of Europe, legal blindness is defined as visual acuity (vision) of 20/200 (6/60) or less in the better eye with best correction possible.

Introduction

Approximately ten percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision. The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity. Low vision is sometimes used to describe visual acuities from 20/70 to 20/200.

Main Content

Blindness is defined as the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors. Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness:

• Total blindness: Total blindness is defined as the complete lack of form and light perception and is clinically recorded as NLP - an abbreviation for no light perception.
• Blindness: Blindness is the term frequently used to describe severe visual impairment with residual vision. Those described as having only "light perception" can see no more than the ability to tell light from dark. A person with only light projection can tell the general direction of a light source. Blindness is also defined as visual acuity of less than 3/60, or corresponding visual field loss to less than 10 degrees, in the better eye with best possible correction.

In order to determine which people may need special assistance because of their visual disabilities, various governmental jurisdictions have formulated more complex definitions referred to as legal blindness.

Basic labeled diagram of the human eye.

Legal Blindness

In North America and most of Europe, legal blindness is defined as visual acuity (vision) 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 (6 m) from an object to see it with the same degree of clarity as a normally sighted person could from 200 feet (60 m).

In many areas, people with average acuity who nonetheless have a visual field of less than 20 degrees (the norm being 180 degrees) are also classified as being legally blind.

Approximately ten percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision. The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity.

Low Vision

Low vision is sometimes used to describe visual acuities from 20/70 to 20/200. By the 10th Revision of the WHO International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death, low vision is defined as visual acuity of less than 6/18, but equal to or better than 3/60, or corresponding visual field loss to less than 20 degrees, in the better eye with best possible correction.

Is Being Visually Impaired the Same as Legally Blind?

You may also be interested in performing a home eye test with our Printable Snellen Eye Chart.

Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.