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278 Benedict Ave. Ste 300. Norwalk, OH 44857 | 419-668-3295

What Does it Mean to be Legally Blind?

What Does it Mean to be Legally Blind?

People often ask about the distinction between being blind and being “legally blind.” Because “blindness” can mean several different things, legally blind is the threshold at which someone is considered visually impaired for legal purposes such as for insurance purposes, receiving certain benefits, or being accepted into various programs.

Blind people are “legally blind,” but some people who can see with strong prescription eyewear say that they are legally blind without their eyewear. This means that, without eyewear, they would not be able to see well enough to see certain things, drive, and so on. 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.

The reason that some people use this term is because there are so many different kinds of “blindness.” People wrongly believe that all blind people just see darkness, or literally nothing at all. In fact, blindness can include seeing some colors or light, or having greater visual acuity in some parts of their field of vision while others are blurry or absent.

DId you know: the largest letter on the chart (an E on most Snellen charts) corresponds to 20/200 vision. If someone cannot distinguish that letter with their prescribed eyewear, they are considered legally blind.

Visual acuity of 20/20 is considered “perfect vision” because no aids are required to see better, and the average person with good eyesight can see clearly what doctors have determined is 20/20 vision. Some people (especially young people with good eyes) are able to see letters smaller than the general “20/20” size.

If you have any questions about your own visual acuity, or if it has been a while since you’ve seen an eye doctor to determine your vision ability, get in touch. We’re happy to assess your vision with a number of painless tests and discuss any concerns you may have. You can speak to the doctor about how well you’re seeing now, and what options are available to help you get your best possible vision!

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COVID-19 Update: (April 29, 2020)

At North Central Eye, we have been working diligently to maintain a safe environment for our physicians, our staff and most importantly, our patients. We have changed numerous operations to limit exposure, and you may notice some changes in the office and in our optical shop, both of which are open and ready to serve you. In addition to our efforts of meticulously cleaning each room and rotating the rooms used each day, please expect the following for your safety:

  • All patients should wear a mask while in the building.
  • Patients should check in by calling 419-668-3295 from the parking lot. Our staff will then call you to tell you when to enter the building, in order to control our ability to provide adequate social distancing. Our waiting room now has a limited number of seats spaced far apart.
  • Only the patient should come into the office. Spouses, friends, or other companions should wait in the car in order to lessen exposure.
  • In our optical shop, please do not touch the frames on display. Our optical technicians will assist you, and you can point to the frames that you would like to try on. After each session is finished, every pair of frames touched is cleaned.
  • If you have an outstanding bill, please feel free to call and we can process it over the phone with your credit card rather than in person.

Most importantly, if you have;

  • experienced any coronavirus-like symptoms; fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, shaking chills, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, fever, or
  • have tested positive for COVID-19, or
  • been exposed to an individual with known COVID-19, please call 419-668-3295. We would like to reschedule you to a time when you feel better and/or have been cleared by your doctor.

Finally, thank you for your patience through this challenging ordeal. Your support of us- as a small business and a group of front-line medical workers- is what makes us proud to serve our local community.