Blindness

Over 80,000 New Zealanders are blind or live with a sight limitation that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Of this number, 11,500 are completely blind. While being blind presents obstacles that differ from those faced by most people, blind people all over the world lead fulfilling lives.

What is impaired vision?

The definition of vision impairment is the limitation of one or more functions of the eye or of the vision function. If you suffer from impaired vision, your condition will probably affect:

• Clarity of vision (visual acuity)
• Ability to differentiate colours
• Range of vision (visual fields)

What does 'legally blind' mean?

In New Zealand, legal blindness means a person has less than 3/60 sight in the best eye, with corrective aids, or horizontal fields of less than 20 degrees. In real terms, this means you would only be able to see an object at 3 metres that a person with normal vision could see from a distance of 60 metres. Normal vision is 6/6 vision (or 20/20 in the old, imperial measurements).

What causes vision impairment or blindness?
A variety of conditions can lead to a partial or full loss of vision. Sometimes, vision impairment is congenital, occurring from birth or early childhood. The majority of vision loss, however, occurs later on in life. Sight can be lost through accidents, but the most common conditions causing loss of vision are age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts.

How does it feel to be blind?
Most blind people find that they live their life without giving much thought to their blindness. If a person becomes blind later in life, it can feel frightening and frustrating when tasks which used to be achievable are suddenly impossible. Blind people have commented:

• "Being blind can be isolating at times…"
• "Blind people do the same things as sighted people. We do this naturally, without even thinking about being blind."
• "Being vision-impaired is only one aspect of who I am, and it's not going to stop me doing what I love."
• "…My blindness isn't going to stop me, it just means I have to do things a little differently."
• "I don't mind not being able to see. I get to do cool stuff that other people don't get to do … like being able to read in the dark!"

Like anything, there are positives and negatives, but overwhelmingly, people adjust to being blind and it becomes a part of normal existence rather than a hindrance or an obstacle to living a full life.

How do blind people find their way around?
Blind people can negotiate their way around the world with a cane, which is useful in letting a blind person know what is ahead in the physical environment. A cane allows those with blindness or vision impairment to travel safely down steps, over curbs, around obstacles, along footpaths and through crowded spaces. The cane reaches about two steps ahead of the person's own feet, preventing them from walking into obstacles. Others make use of a guide dog that has been trained to negotiate obstacles and assist blind people in their day-to-day travel. The blind person is always in control of the dog. The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind provides services to help blind, deef-blind and visually impaired people in New Zealand.

What is Braille?
Braille is a method of reading and writing that uses embossed, or raised, dots in place of printed letters. Each letter is made up of a different combination of six dots. The system allows blind people to experience something more akin to the printed word than computer speech software. For example, Braille allows blind people to read books and identify things by their Braille labels, such as CDs or food packets. Other things you may not know about Braille:

• There is a contracted form of the Braille language, using abbreviated forms of words, without full spelling. This is because Braille takes up about 3 times as much space as printed words.
• Numbers can be written in Braille, using a special 'number sign' in front of the letters A to J.
• Musical notes can be written in Braille, with different combinations of raised dots to indicate notes, length and pitch.
• Braille is used in almost all the countries of the world and can be used to write any language, including pictorial languages such as Chinese.
• On average, it takes about four months to learn Braille and up to two years to learn the contracted form of the language.
• Generally, people find it easier to write Braille than to read it.

What does it mean to be deafblind?
People who are deafblind are both hearing and sight impaired. Many have at least some use of their sight and/or sound senses, but some are completely blind and deaf. Being deafblind differs from both blindness and deafness, affecting communication, traveling safely and getting access to information. About 1,500 people in New Zealand are deafblind.

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Lifestyle images from Flickr: Purple Flowers, Yoga and Wine.