Children with Visual Impairments

Etiology- Refraction Errors:

Myopia – nearsightedness

Hyperopia – farsightedness

Presbyopia – loss of focusing power

Astigmatism – irregularity in the curve of cornea

Etiology- Ocular Motor:

Occular-motor problems occur when the eyes cannot control the direction of their focus.

• Strabismus
• Amblyopia
• Nystagmus

Etiology- physical:

Cataract – clouding of the lens

Glaucoma – back-up of eye fluid

Retinoblastoma – tumor on the retina

Retinopathy of Prematurity – a disease that occurs in some premature babies.

Albinism

Effects of Visual Impairment:

• Motor Development
• Cognitive and Intellectual Development
• Social and Emotional Development
• School Achievement and Placement
• Effects on the Family

Visual Impairment Severities  

“Legal Blindness”

• a distance acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye
• visual field is reduced to an angle of twenty degrees or less at its widest diameter
• need to learn vial non-visual media

Low Vision/“Partially Sighted”

• distance acuity is 20/70 or less in the better eye, corrected
• a visual problem that has resulted in a need for special education

Intervention/ aids:

• Braille: A tactile system of raised dots representing letters of the alphabet.
• The White Cane
• Dog Guides
• The Doppler Effect; Facial Vision