Page 59 - DEDU506_SPECIAL_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Unit 7: Visually Impaired: Definition, Types and Characteristics

Notes

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children have their eyes
checked during regular well-baby visits throughout their first years. A child should
have a routine eye exam every year beginning at age 5.

Self Assessment
3. State whether the following statements are "True or False":
(i) Amblyopia is also known as lazy eye.
(ii) Retinopathy of prematurity is not common in children who were premature babies that
required high concentrations of oxygen at birth.
(iii) In strabismus, both eyes are unable to gaze at an object at the same time.
(iv) The American Optometric Association points out that because 60% of a child's learning relies
on his vision acuity.
(v) A child might have a vision problem if he appears to be overly clumsy.
7.6 Summary

• In this unit we have discussed about define, types and characteristics of visual impairment in
broad manner.
• A person with low vision is one who has impairment of visual functioning after treatment or
standard reflective correction and has visual acuity of less than 6/18 to light perception or
visual field of less than 10 degrees from point of fixation is a physical disability.
• The definition of blindness adopted in India exclude people with impairment only in one eye
from the purview of blindness.
• As percentage of impairment in the case of a one-eyed person is only 30 percent, according to
the approved definition in medical parlance, a person with one good eye is not a blind person.
• Deaf blindness is a condition presenting other difficulties than those caused by deafness and
blindness.
• Visual acuity is the ability to see details. Visual acuity for distance is measured as the maximum
distance at which a person with normal eyesight can see the same object. Finger count method
and normal eye test are used for this.
• There are some common types of visual impairment:
(i) Partially sighted (ii) low vision (iii) legally blind (iv) totally blind
• Simple refractive errors include near slightness, farsightedness.
• Amblyopic, Retinitis pigments, retinopathy of prematurity, Strabismus, Cortical visual impaired
children are as follows:
• Physical signs: Crossed eyes, eyes that turn out, eyes that flutter from side to side or up or
down are some of the physical characteristics, clumsiness, short attention span blink eye
frequently, poor eye-hand co-ordination are other behavioural characteristics of visually impaired
children.
• Children with vision problems are poor in academic performance like reading, writing and
other activities.

7.7 Keywords

• Academic : Connected with education especially studying in schools and universities.
• Frequent : Happening often.

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