thank you so much for your blog!!!! it’s genuinely so useful and insightful when writing. is there anything on writing blind characters? more specifically types of blindness and blindness throughout history + how it impacts them in their day to day life? Thank you in advance!!!
“Blind” or “Legally Blind” - in general, is acceptable for people with complete or almost complete vision loss.
For others who have a loss of vision, the American Foundation for the Blind uses the term “low vision,” which it describes as “uncorrectable vision loss that interferes with daily activities.”
The foundation says that other terms commonly used to describe vision loss – “partial sight,” “partial blindness” and “poor vision” – are no longer in general use.
The foundation also uses the term “visually impaired,” but some object to the use of the words “impair” or “impairment” when describing a disability.
NCDJ Recommendation: “Blind” may be used for people who have complete or almost complete loss of sight.
Other terms are acceptable for those with some vision loss.
It is best to ask your sources what they prefer and take that into consideration.
Similarly, ask whether the person prefers identity-first or people-first language. Many prefer “blind” or “blind person,” while others prefer “a person with blindness.”
Other commonly used terms include:
Limited vision: Acceptable when a person is not legally or completely blind
Low vision: Acceptable when a person is not legally or completely blind
Partially sighted: Used most often in British publications for those not legally or completely blind but less acceptable in the U.S.
Visually impaired: Similar to the term “hearing impaired,” some may object to it because it describes the condition in terms of a deficiency.
Because these terms tend to be imprecise, consider asking how the visual condition affects acuity. For example, a person may be able to describe having low central or peripheral vision.
APA Style. Description of blind people or people who are visually impaired:
visually challenged person
visually impaired person, vision-impaired person
person who is visually impaired, person who is vision impaired
Blindness - A lack of vision.
Profound, near-total, or total impairment of the ability to perceive visual stimuli.
It may also refer to a loss of vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
According to the World Health Organization’s international classification (1990), blindness is defined as visual acuity less than 20/400 in the better eye with best correction or a visual field less than 10° in the widest meridian in the better eye.Â
Partial blindness - very limited vision.
Complete blindness - cannot see anything and do not see light.
In the United States, the criterion for legal blindness is visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with best correction or a visual field of 20° or less in the widest meridian of the better eye. People with vision that is worse than 20/200, even with glasses or contact lenses, are considered legally blind in most states.
Vision Loss - the partial or complete loss of vision.
May happen suddenly or over a period of time.
Some types of vision loss never lead to complete blindness.
Alternative Names: Loss of vision; No light perception (NLP); Low vision; Vision loss and blindness
Common types of low vision include:
Central vision loss (not being able to see things in the center of your vision)
Peripheral (side) vision loss (not being able to see things out of the corners of your eyes)
Night blindness (not being able to see in low light)
Cortical Blindness - blindness, with normal pupillary responses, that is due to complete destruction of the optic radiations or the striate cortex. Because the subcortical structures (white matter) of the visual system are involved, it is also called cerebral blindness. Typically caused by a stroke affecting the occipital lobe of the brain, cortical blindness can also result from traumatic injury or hypoxia. In children, it is often a consequence of hydrocephalus, meningitis, toxic or hypertensive encephalopathy, trauma, or diffuse demyelinating degenerative disease. Complete loss of vision in a portion of the visual field is called partial cortical blindness.
Functional Blindness - visual deterioration without any apparent change or disease affecting the structural integrity of the visual system: one of the most frequent symptoms in somatization disorder. In addition to loss of acuity, visual functional phenomena may include photophobia; burning, painful, or tired eyes; monocular diplopia (double vision); ptosis; blepharospasm; convergence problems; and severe concentric visual field constriction in one or both eyes. Despite the symptoms, the pupils continue to react to light, and the patient automatically avoids (i.e., is able to detect and thereby avoid) objects that would cause injury. Complete functional blindness is rare. The condition was formerly known as hysterical blindness or psychic blindness.
Low Vision - reduction of visual capacity (especially visual acuity and visual field), regardless of the underlying cause, that cannot be corrected to the normal range with glasses, contact lenses, or medical or surgical treatment. Low vision causes problems with various aspects of visual performance (e.g., mobility, reading) and is often associated with a decline in quality of life, an increased risk of depression, and decreased functional status. Low vision services provided to those with this condition include assessment of an individual’s residual vision and instruction in the use of high-powered optical devices (see vision rehabilitation). Also called partial sight.
Visual Impairment - partial or total inability to see, or to see normally, due to partial or complete loss or absence of vision or to visual dysfunction. Visual impairment encompasses the continuum from blindness to low vision. It can result from disease or degenerative disorder (e.g., cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, or macular degeneration), injury, or congenital defects (e.g., refractive errors, astigmatism). The degree of visual impairment is assessed in terms of disability in everyday life. Also called vision impairment.
Adventitious Visual Impairment. Partial or total vision loss that results from injury or illness following a period of normal visual ability. Onset of the impairment can produce severe grief, mourning reactions, and dependency. As a consequence, any residual visual capacity may not be used effectively, exacerbating psychological and social-adjustment problems. Also called acquired visual impairment.
Congenital Visual Impairment. Partial or total vision loss already present at birth or occurring soon after birth. Major causes are infections, bilateral cataracts, and prematurity. Unless specially stimulated, children with this impairment are likely to show delay in sensory, motor, and social development.
Accidents or injuries to the surface of the eye (chemical burns or sports injuries)
The type of partial vision loss may differ, depending on the cause:
With cataracts, vision may be cloudy or fuzzy, and bright light may cause glare
With diabetes, vision may be blurred, there may be shadows or missing areas of vision, and difficulty seeing at night
With glaucoma, there may be tunnel vision and missing areas of vision
With macular degeneration, the side vision is normal, but the central vision is slowly lost
Aging doesn't cause vision loss on its own. But many diseases that are more common in older adults can cause it.
Other causes of vision loss include:
Blocked blood vessels to the retina
Complications of premature birth (retrolental fibroplasia)
Complications of eye surgery
Tumors, such as retinoblastoma and optic nerve glioma
Total blindness (no light perception) is often due to:
Complete retinal detachment
End stage diabetic retinopathy
Severe internal eye infection (endophthalmitis)
Vascular occlusion (stroke in the eye)
Other eye disorders, eye injuries, and birth defects can also cause vision loss.
IMPACT OF VISION IMPAIRMENT
Young children with early onset irreversible severe vision impairment can experience delayed motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development, with lifelong consequences.
School-age children with vision impairment can also experience lower levels of educational achievement.
Vision impairment severely impacts quality of life among adult populations.
Adults with vision impairment can experience lower rates of employment and
higher rates of depression and anxiety.
In the case of older adults, vision impairment can contribute to social isolation,
a higher risk of falls and fractures, and
a greater likelihood of early entry into nursing or care homes.
All the Light We Cannot See: One of the two main characters is blind.
Blindness (1995): An unnamed country is swept by a plague that causes everyone to go blind, creating societal chaos. It was adapted into a film in 2008.
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Ăšrsula Iguarán, matriarch of the BuendĂa family, progressively goes blind as she grows older. However, none of her family members ever discover this, since she completely memorized how their house looks and is able to walk around as if she could see.
Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 âšś More: Notes âšś Writing Resources PDFs
Thank you for your kind words, means a lot! Here are some related information. You can find more details and examples in the links. Hope this helps with your writing!
More: Color Blindness âšś Quadrantanopia âšś Face Blindness
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