First: What does it mean to be "legally blind?" In most states, if you have distance visual acuity less than 20/200 that is not correctable with glasses/contact lenses, you are legally considered to be "severely visually handicapped" (which used to be called "legally blind").
A lens Rx for -14 Diopters tells us you have a very, very high degree of nearsightedness (myopia). This would be considered in the "severe" range. Of all the people who are myopic, less than 2% are worse than -10 Diopters.
What Eye Prescription is Considered Legally Blind? If your prescription is -2.5 or lower, this means that you are legally blind. Visual acuity of -2.5 is equivalent to 20/200 vision. Visual acuity of -3.0, for instance, means that you have 20/250 or 20/300 vision.
What is legal blindness? A person is considered legally blind if they cannot see at six metres what someone with normal vision can see at 60 metres or if their field of vision is less than 20 degrees in diameter.
This is the basis for the “legal blindness definition. Legal blindness is defined as: 20/200 or worse vision in the better seeing eye, or less than 20° of a field of vision.
If you're legally blind, your vision is 20/200 or less in your better eye or your field of vision is less than 20 degrees.
Legal blindness means that your visual acuity is worse than 20/200 or a visual field that is less than 20 degrees even with the best possible correction. In order words, if your prescription is -2.5 or lower, this means that you are legally blind.
Normal: 20/10-20/25. Near Normal visual impairment: 20/30-20/60. Moderate visual impairment: 20/70-20/160. Severe visual impairment: 20/200-20/400, or 11-20 degrees on the visual field.
What prescription is considered legally blind? Legal blindness is defined as 20/200 vision. 14 The prescription equivalent is -2.5. It is important to note that prescriptions for corrective lenses are different for each person, and measurements can be different for each eye.
-3.00 to -6.00 diopters is moderate. -6.00 to -9.00 diopters is severe. -9.00 diopters or more is extreme.
A -5 eye and a -7 eye are not much differently at risk, but both are significantly more at risk of retinal problems than a more normal, non-myopic eye. These are rare, though, so no cause for alarm.
Your visual acuity would be less than 6//60 (20/200), so would be legally blind without correction.
The maximum negative eye power is typically around -20 diopters. This means that if you have myopia of -20 diopters, you will need to wear glasses or contact lenses with a power of -20 in order to see clearly.
20/30 to 20/60 vision in the better eye, even with correction glasses, is considered mild vision loss or mild low vision. 20/70 to 20/130 vision is moderate low vision. 20/200 to 20/400 is severe low vision. If you suspect that you may have vision impairment, it's always best to consult with an eye specialist.
In order to be legally blind, you must have a visual acuity of 20/200. This means that even with glasses or contacts, you can only read the first letter at the top of the Snellen Chart, if that. You can also be legally blind if you can see, but only in a very small window in your eye.
If your number is between -0.25 and -2.00, you have mild nearsightedness. If your number is between -2.25 and -5.00, you have moderate nearsightedness. If your number is lower than -5.00, you have high nearsightedness.
Is 15/15 vision better than 20/20 vision? No. 15/15 vision means normal sharpness of vision at 15 feet, just as 20/20 indicates normal sharpness of vision at 20 feet. For onsistency, doctors of optometry in the United Sates use 20 feet as the standard for measuring sharpness of vision.
Again, there are two ways to qualify under this listing: You have a visual efficiency percentage of 20 or less after best correction (lenses, contacts, surgery) You have a visual impairment value of 1.00 or greater after best correction.
You may qualify for SSDI benefits or SSI payments if you're blind. We consider you to be blind if your vision can't be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye.
Visual acuity less than 20/200 is considered legally blind, but to actually fit the definition, the person must not be able to attain 20/200 vision even with prescription eyewear. Many people who would be legally blind without eyewear can function well in everyday life with appropriate glasses or contact lenses.
Legal blindness is defined as someone with less than 6/60 vision.
At values +0,25 to +3,0 diopters we speak about slight defect, values +3,25 to +6,0 diopters represent medium farsightedness, from +6,25 to +9,0 diopters we talk about high defect. Serious defect (from +9,25 up) comes with impaired vision, but not only in the near but also for further objects.
A + (plus) symbol in front of the number indicates long sightedness, whilst a – (minus) symbol indicates shortsightedness.
So +1.00 and -1.00 are quite modest; your eyesight isn't too bad, as you only need 1 diopter of correction. On the other hand, +4.50 and -4.50 represent a greater lack of clarity; you'll need a stronger prescription, at 4.5 diopters of correction.
It is therefore recommended that the ideal upper limit is -8.0, while the acceptable upper limit is -10.0. Beyond this number, LASIK should be avoided, and a better way would be to go in for an ICL implant. The upper limit of correction by LASIK for a plus number, i.e. hypermetropia is +5.0.