L16: Visual Impairment Flashcards
What is visual impairment
Being unable to see or unable to see clearly
What is visual acuity
The ability to see in detail
How do we test the function of both eyes
By a Shellen test
At what distance is letters held at
6 metres
What happens to the 6 meters if a person cannot see
Gets smaller
How do we test for vision if the person cannot see at 1 metre
1) show a number of fingers
2) if they cannot see fingers we do a hand movement
3) if they cannot see hand movement we look for perception of light
4) no perception of light
What does registration of vision impairment depend on
How far you can see
Field of vision
What are the 2 categories of vision impairment
Severely sight impair (bling) Slight impaired (partially sighted)
Which eye is the category based on
The better seeing eye
How many groups of severe sight impairment is there
3
What are the criteria’s of being group 1 for severely sight impaired
Visual acuity worse than 3 metres 60 Snellen
What are the criteria’s for being in group 2 severely sight impaired
People who are 3 metres 60 snellen or better
But
Worse than 6/60 and have contraction of visual field
What are the criteria’s for being in group 3 severely sight impaired
People who are 6/60 snellen or better
But
Clinically contracted field of vision e.g retinitis pigmentosa
How many groups of sight impaired are there
3
What are the criteria’s of group 1 sight impaired
People who are 3/60-6/60 snellen with full visual field
What are the criteria’s for being in group 2 sight impaired
Between 6/60-6/24 snellen with moderate contraction of filed
What are the criteria’s for being in group 3 sight impaired
6/18 snellen or better and if they have a marked field defect
What are the main causes of eye sight loss
In corrected retracted error e.g glasses not corrected Age related macular degeneration Cataract Glaucoma Diabetic eye disease
Which age group has a higher occurrence of sight loss
Older groups
What are the main causes of registerable sight loss
Age related macular degeneration Glaucoma Cataract Retinitis pigmentosa Diabetic eye disease
What is glaucoma
High pressure in the eye that damages the optic nerve
What is the normal corrected visual aucity for someone who is not blind or has an impairment
6/6-6/18
What type of children are at risk of being blind
Children who have refractive errors
Before what age do you need to correct the refractive error to prevent a child from being permanently bind
Before the age of 8
Which ethnic groups are at high risk of visual impairment /blindness
Black African and Caribbean
South Asian
Why is the black African ethnic group at high risk
They are at high risk of glacouma and diabetic eye diseases
Why is the south Asian at risk of visual impairment/ brindles
They are at risk of diabetic neuropathy
What is the impact of visual impairment on someone’s life
Lower well-being Lack of emotional support Essential practical support is missing Feeling isolated Rely on support Financial struggles Travel and transport Poor access to key information
What support is available for people with a visual impairment
Government benefits Eye clinic liaison officer Social worker immobility officer Voluntary organisations Lowe vision aids
What are the types of benefit a registered patient can get in terms of visual impairment
Disability living allowance Personal independence payment Reduction to tv Tax allowance Parking badge
