What Do Blind Individuals See?

What Do Blind Individuals See?

Have you ever thought about what it's like to be blind? Maybe you've attempted to close your eyes or blindfold yourself and walk a short distance, testing to see how difficult it is. Many people falsely equate blindness or vision impairment with being totally in the dark. Most people who are legally blind or have low vision have some level of sight, though it varies from person to person. Read below to learn about different vision problems and what the diagnosed person sees.  

Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An eye disease that damages the macula, the part of the retina that controls vision. Especially in the early stages, vision may become wavy and distorted. As the disease progresses, blind spots usually occur.  

Cataracts: Another common age-related vision problem, cataracts are cloudy areas in the eye’s lens which is the clear part of the eye that helps focus light. As a result, vision becomes cloudy, like looking through a frosted window.  

Glaucoma: A group of eye diseases or conditions that damage the optic nerve. This condition tends to sneak up on people, as symptoms begin very slowly. The only way to be diagnosed is through a comprehensive dilated eye exam. People with glaucoma tend to need more light to see. Vision may look blurry and dim on the edges.  

Diabetic Retinopathy: A complication of diabetes that damages the retina, causing loss of vision. Like with glaucoma, symptoms don’t always appear immediately. Early indicators can be trouble reading or seeing faraway objects. In later stages, blood vessels in the retina start to bleed into the gel-like fluid that fills the eye, causing dark or floating spots or streaks. This condition can be corrected with early treatment. Without treatment, scars in the back of the eye can form and vision loss may become permanent.  

Retinitis Pigmentosa: A group of rare eye diseases that affect the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye. This condition breaks down the retina tissue over time causing loss of night and side/peripheral vision.  

Neurological Vision Impairment: NVI is caused by traumatic brain injuries or brain disorders. Impacts to vision can be loss of acute sight, color vision, distortion of vision field, or affect eye coordination. Blurred vision or complete vision loss can occur.

At Guide Dog Foundation, we provide guide dogs at no cost to people who are blind or have low vision, just like many of the conditions described above. Learn more about how a guide dog can help restore independence to people in the visually-impaired community! 

*All information on these vision impairments is provided by the National Eye Institute. For more than 50 years, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has been on the front lines of vision research…working hard to help the public learn about vision problems and how to keep their eyes healthy. For more information on vision loss, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov/about or contact your healthcare provider.