Everything You Need To Know About Visual Impairments
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), blindness and visual impairment affect at least 2.2 billion people worldwide. Of these, 1 billion have a preventable vision impairment or one that has not yet been addressed.
The organization also points out that visual impairments more often affect people in low- and middle-income countries, women, older adults and ethnic minorities. This confirms the link between this problem and the difficulty or impossibility of receiving appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
What are visual impairments?
There is no absolute consensus on the concept of visual impairment. There are differences in the limit separating disabilities. However, one of the most popular definitions is the one we will share below.
It should be noted that the term “visual impairment” should be used generically for both people who are completely blind and those with a significant problem. Thus, visual impairment is a concept that covers any type of serious visual problem, regardless of its causes.
The concept is complemented by the fact that the mentioned problem must generate limitations in carrying out certain activities, such as reading, writing, orientation and mobility. In turn, blindness is any form of severe visual impairment, without implying a total absence of vision.
What are the causes of visual impairments?
Detection, degrees and types of visual impairments
The needs of a visually impaired person
Fortunately, a visually impaired person can use various aids to better cope with their condition. For orientation and mobility outside the home, it can use white sticks, guide dogs and, nowadays, technological tools such as GPS with applications for the visually impaired.
To visualize objects depending on the degree of visual impairment, it is a good idea for these patients to use more light or devices that have magnified fonts, magnifying glasses, and high-powered glasses. If a person is blind, the Braille alphabet is a very effective method of reading.
For obvious reasons, the person concerned must adapt his home to the visual conditions. There are more and more effective aids, such as smart glasses for the blind.
