Social Security for the Blind
by: Social Security Administration
What Are The Special Rules For People Who Are Blind?
We believe you are legally blind for Social Security rules if your vision cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye.
You will be accepted as legally blind if your visual field is 20 degrees or less, even with a corrective lens.
Many people who meet the legal definition of blindness still have some sight. They may be able to read large print and get around without a cane or a guide dog.
If you do not meet the legal definition of blindness, you may still get disability benefits if your seeing problems, alone, or added to other health problems, prevent you from working.
Disorders of Vision
1. Causes of impairment. Diseases or injury of the eyes may produce loss of visual acuity (sharpness) or loss of the (periphery) secondary field. Loss of visual sharpness results in being unable to distinguish detail and prevents reading and fine work. Loss of the secondary field restricts the ability of an individual to move about freely. The extent of impairment of sight should be determined by visual sharpness and secondary field testing.
2. Visual acuity (sharpness). A loss of visual sharpness may be caused by impaired distant vision or near vision, or both. However, for you to meet the level of severity described in what is required to be declared blind, only the remaining visual sharpness for distance of the better eye with best correction based on the Snellen test chart measurement may be used. Correction obtained by special visual aids (e.g., contact lenses) will be considered if the individual has the ability to wear such aids.
3. Field of peripheral (distance you can see on each side without moving your eyes) vision. Impairment of peripheral vision may result if there is a reduction of the visual fields. The reduction may be either even or irregular. The extent of the remaining peripheral visual field will be determined by special testing.
4. Muscle function. Paralysis of the third cranial nerve producing ptosis, paralysis of accommodation, and dilation and immobility of the pupil may cause significant visual impairment. When all the muscles of the eye are paralyzed including the iris and ciliary body (total ophthalmoplegia), the condition is considered a severe impairment provided it is in both eyes. A finding of severe impairment based primarily on impaired muscle function must be supported by a report of an actual measurement of eye motion.
5. Visual efficiency. Loss of visual efficiency may be caused by disease or injury resulting in a reduction of visual acuity or visual field.
6. Special situations. Aphakia represents a visual handicap in addition to the loss of central visual acuity. The term monocular aphakia would apply to an individual who has had the lens removed from one eye, and who still retains the lens in the other eye, or to an individual who has only one eye which is aphakic. The term binocular aphakia would apply to an individual who has had both lenses removed.
7. Statutory blindness. The term "statutory blindness" refers to the degree of visual impairment which defines the term "blindness" in the Social Security Act. Both 2.02 and 2.03A and B denote statutory blindness.
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