3 HR Processes Human Resources Practices Vision Impairments

Vision Impairments

What types of vision impairments exist?

Vision impairments result from conditions that range from the presence of some usable vision, low vision, to the absence of any vision, total blindness. Low vision is a term that describes a person with a vision impairment that cannot be improved by correction but has some usable vision remaining. Legal blindness is defined as 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible correction. Errors of refraction, diseases of the eye, and other vision-related conditions are usually the cause of vision loss. Each of these categories includes more specific disorders, which are described below (American Foundation for the Blind, 2008b).

Common Errors of Refraction

Myopia (Nearsightedness): Close objects look clear while distant objects appear blurred.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness): The ability to see objects clearly at a distance while close objects appear blurry.
Astigmatism: Due to the irregular curvature of the cornea, vision is blurry for both near and far objects.
Presbyopia: The eye lens becomes less elastic (associated with aging) and produces blurred vision when focusing on near objects.

Common Diseases of the Eye

Cataracts: Clouding of the eye’s lens that causes loss of vision.
Glaucoma: Pressure inside the eye is elevated and can cause damage to the optic nerve, which results in damage to peripheral vision.
Macular Degeneration: There is a disturbance of blood vessels in the eye resulting in progressive loss of central vision.
Retinitis Pigmentosa: There is a degeneration of pigment in the eye that is needed to absorb light and create visual images, leading to “tunnel vision” and night blindness.
Retinopathy (due to Diabetes): Retinopathy typically affects the blood circulation of the retina, which causes blotchy vision.

Other Vision Related Conditions

Night Blindness: Night blindness results from pigmentary degeneration of the retina, which leads to difficulty seeing in low light.
Color Vision Deficiency: A color vision deficiency occurs when cone cells of the retina, which provide daylight and color vision, are affected and there is difficulty distinguishing among colors. Typically this only involves certain hues, for example a red–green deficiency; total color blindness (achromatic vision) is rare.
Lack of Depth Perception: A lack of depth perception is often caused by the loss of sight in one eye, resulting in difficulty with foreground/background discrimination.
Floaters: Floaters are small specks or clouds moving in the field of vision.

How prevalent is vision impairment?
The National Institutes of Health recently found that about 6% of the general population is visually impaired, which is about 14 million people. Of these 14 million, more than 11 million have visual impairment that can be corrected by contact lenses or glasses, but about 3 million have visual loss or impairments that cannot be corrected.46 According to the VA, over 157,000 of today’s veterans are legally blind. About 44,000 of these veterans are enrolled in VA healthcare, and a majority of them are elderly or have other chronic health conditions. As of 2006, at least 78 service members from Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom were receiving VA benefits for vision loss, and medical staff at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center treated almost 120 soldiers for vision problems. Early estimates held that by 2010, the number of blinded veterans would grow to more than 50,000 and continue to rise.47

Do people with vision impairments have disabilities under the ADA?
The ADA does not contain a list of medical conditions that constitute disabilities. Instead, the ADA has a general definition of disability that each person must meet (EEOC Regulations . . ., 2011). Therefore, some people with vision impairments will have a disability under the ADA and some will not.

A person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having an impairment (EEOC Regulations . . . , 2011). For more information about how to determine whether a person has a disability under the ADA, visit http://AskJAN.org/corner/vol05iss04.htm.

What accommodations are suggested to support individuals who are diagnosed with vision impairments?
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has listed several accommodations for vision impairments. These include activities or actions around various topics such as:

Reading printed materials

Low Vision:

Closed circuit television (CCTV) system, which is sometimes referred to as an electronic or video magnifier
Hand, stand, or portable magnifier
Information in large print
Note: The American Foundation for the Blind (2008c) recommends that the font size be at least 16 point but preferably 18 point.
Photo copier enlarged paper material
Color paper, acetate sheet, or overlay to increase color contrast between printed text and document background
Optical devices such as monoculars or binocular systems, loupes, or prism spectacles
Frequent breaks to rest eyes when fatigue is a factor