Terminology definitions of various degrees of blindness

Many of my family members and friends have asked the difference between the terminology of light perception, legal blindness, etc... I found the below that can help to differentiate the difference terms used with defining blindness. Thank you to visionaware.org for this.

The term "low vision," also known as "partial sight," can be defined in several ways:

• Low vision is a condition caused by eye disease, in which visual acuity is 20/70 or poorer in the better-seeing eye and cannot be corrected or improved with regular eyeglasses. (Scheiman, Scheiman, and Whittaker)
• Low vision is uncorrectable vision loss that interferes with daily activities. It is better defined in terms of function, rather than [numerical] test results. (Massof and Lidoff)
  
• In other words, low vision is "not enough vision to do whatever it is you need to do," which can vary from person to person.

You may also want to know what the term "visual acuity" means, as well as the meaning of "legally blind."

Visual Acuity

Visual acuity is a number that indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision. In the United States, the Snellen Eye Chart is a test that is commonly used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to measure a person's distance visual acuity. It contains rows of letters, numbers, or symbols printed in standardized graded sizes. The eye doctor will ask you to read or identify each line or row at a fixed distance (usually 20 feet), although a 10-foot testing distance can also be used.

• If you can read line 8 (directly above the red bar) from 20 feet away while wearing your regular glasses or contact lenses, the doctor records your vision (or visual acuity) as 20/20 with best correction.
• If the smallest print you can read is line 3 (T, O, Z) from 20 feet away while wearing your regular glasses or contact lenses, the doctor records your vision (or visual acuity) as 20/70 with best correction.
• If you can only read the big "E" on line 1 of the chart from 20 feet away while wearing your regular glasses or contact lenses, the doctor records your vision (or visual acuity) as 20/200 with best correction.

Legal Blindness

In the United States, "legal blindness" is a definition developed by the federal government to determine eligibility for disability benefits and tax exemption programs. It's not a term that tells us very much about a person's ability to function, nor what an individual can and cannot see. In the United States, the criteria for legal blindness are:

• Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better-seeing eye with best conventional correction (meaning regular glasses or contact lenses); or
• A visual field (the total area an individual can see without moving the eyes from side to side) of 20 degrees or less (often known as "tunnel vision") in the better-seeing eye.

Light Perception

Light perception describes the ability to perceive the difference between light and dark, or daylight and nighttime. An individual can have severely reduced vision and still be able to determine the difference between light and dark.

Light Projection

Light projection describes the ability to determine the general source and direction of a light. Again, an individual can have severely reduced vision and still be able to determine the general source and direction of a light.

Total blindness

Total blindness is the complete lack of light perception, light projection, and form perception, and is recorded as "NLP," an abbreviation for "no light perception."

Few people today are totally without sight. In fact, 85% of all individuals with eye disorders have some remaining sight; approximately 15% are totally blind.

Happy 8 months!

Wowzers, two posts in one day. Watch out!

Kids are occupied, so I'm taking advantage.

Gavin is now eight months, almost nine. He's a big boy. He weighs in at a few ounces short of 20 pounds, so I'm calling it 20 now, since his dr. appt was a few weeks ago. He continues to thrive as his pediatrician says. His character has begun to show more and more, it's so cute. The crawling as we know, will be delayed, but he's getting there. He's up on all fours and pushes, and wants to, but the connection still isn't there. I'm sure in the next month he will be getting closer.
He loves all food still, not really liking his bottle lately, and like I said is in a constant eye-pressing phase, which I wrote earlier about. That about sums up his 8 months! He is my little monkey, and I just adore him.

Why is it that my husband when he feed him, feeds him in his little seat on the floor? He did this with Landon too. We have high chairs and a seat strapped to our dining room chair, and yet he insists when he feeds him, mostly it's done in this little pod thing?

Happy Father's Day (late than never, that is)

Yeah, I know. I'm late with this posting. I have to do a salute to my hubby for Father's Day, and shame on me for not doing it. Although, I don't feel too bad - this blog is only pretty much intended for Gavin only. It's not a general mommy blog with updates of both boys. I think that would only interest the grandparents... LOL! Maybe also a glimpse of me into our boring lives, ha!

Anyhow, this past Father's Day was a special one and emotional one for many reasons. Many of our family members weren't able to wish my grandpa and my uncle a Happy Father's Day. They were both dedicated fathers and both recently passed away a few months ago. This is our first year of anything without them. And for Troy, this past year with Gavin has been full of ups and downs, and he is and continues to be the rock in the family when my emotions get the best of me. This is his first Father's Day as a daddy of two. He adores his boys so much, and both of our goals as parents is to spend as much time with them each day as possible. These moments will soon be gone, and we both get it. We both understand, and that is what I love about our family dynamic. We would rather be with each other with the boys, as a unit, than out with friends, etc... ALTHOUGH, yes, I understand, we need to get out and we are working on it. I just would rather not be anywhere else in the world than with all three of my boys, everyday and every night. Period. Troy shares this value with me, and I get such a kick watching him as he parents and loves our children.

T, you are a wonderful father. The memories you are filling our children's lives with are the guiding forces that will help shape them into men one day. Thank you for your dedication to me and this household. We love you!

Father's Day was spent at the shooting range. It was a blast!! My childhood memories are filled with weekends with my dad and sister off-roading near Lytle Creek and shooting my dads shotgun and then going home to his home-made-i-think-it-was-safe sort of refill shotgun casing manchine thingy. Did you get that? Yeah, we took the bullets home and refilled them with gun powder, and the whole bit and we repackaged them and got them ready for the next weekend. It was so much fun. Assuming they were safe, and our necks are a little red? Possibly, my dad is the Irish in the bunch and gots a little hick in 'em. hehe JK

The first pic is Troy, my dad and Landon. The rival continues every year with the Angels vs. Dodgers feud in our family. You will see my dad trying to cover up the Dodgers on Landon's shirt. The rest speak for themselves. The picture of Gavin with Troy are on my other memory card, so I will upload those as soon as I can. This is my dad's side of the family.

Happy Father's Day to all you dedicated fathers. We appreciate you! Happy Father's Day dad, I promise, next year will be a much better year for you. I love you.

Eye-pressing

Gavin's eye pressing has hit an all-time high. It is a full time job to keep his hands down and occupied. Those of you with a blind baby, or with a child with retinal disease can attest to this. I am noticing his eyes are becoming much more 'sunken' looking.

"Hands down Gavin" or "Hands down monkey" is repeated in this household a couple hundred times a day. (I'm not exaggerating), followed by the little munchkin not listening, us pulling his hands down (he applies his fist with pressure to both eyes) and then the crying begins. The last couple of days, I don't think he has gone 60 seconds (literally) without fists to the eyes. It is CONSTANT.

It's weird, it kind of goes in phases, it's always there, he is ALWAYS pressing on his eyes but some periods of times it seems like it is much more difficult to keep them down. Picture a thumb sucker and having to rip the thumb out of the baby's mouth - it's kind of like that. He gets frustrated, angry and trying to at that moment redirect his attention and keep his hands occupied is difficult, because he begins crying. He is a stubborn little thing, and once he starts crying because you have pissed him off, you typically have a moment or two where trying to refocus him on something else is impossible.

I'm only addressing this issue, because there have been other moms who have found the blog from the LCA/blind babies group who struggle with this.

You are NOT ALONE.

It is the most difficult stage right now, and that brings on a much fussier baby and more exhausting parents! Yes, as with everything this time will pass. I want to make sure I make note about it in a post. I don't want this blog to be one filled with just the aggravating times, but these times are relevant to our lives right now and our struggles.

That being said, his glasses are on order and should be ready next week. This is our third attempt at glasses for him. I'm thinking these will more "baby-friendly" than the others. Although, much more expensive, in the long run, these will hopefully be the best.

Fingers crossed this will help aleviate a little of the eye pressing. I'm sure he will get around it, and continue to do so, but my hope is it will help a little.

I will post pictures of him in his new specks as soon as I can. Those mothers who share in our trials with the eye-pressing, please email me with tricks you have stumbled upon. I have a few up my sleeve, but I have to be smart when to use them, because he grows tired of it quickly :)

Race to a cure

If you are involved in a racing competition and would like to fight blindness too, check out the below link.

With summer weather here, there are many people who involve themselves with races, triathalons, etc.. Why not fight blindness while you're at it?

Sounds like a win win to me!

www.RacetoCureBlindness.org

Square one

We were given high hopes on Friday that CCS (California Children Services) would be covering the costs that our insurance wouldn't be covering for Gavin's ERG. We were ecstatic. FINALLY a positive direction in getting all this taken care of.

That happy moment lasted the weekend.

We then talked to the person we spoke to on Friday's, supervisor. We were not approved. Medically, yes we were. Financially, no we were not. Now we are back to square one. The square we started back about 4 months ago. This has to be the most frustrating-not-making-sense-time in my life.

Insurance.

I'm glad I have this blog to vent, so I don't unload it all on my poor husband.

Square one. And even more confused and frustrated than ever.

Insurance.

UGH!

....and the poll continues

Thank you to everyone who has participated in my poll.

PLEASE continue to send your answers. I am noting down all the "things" you would miss most if you lost your sight tomorrow. My little fundraiser idea to make money for the Foundation is coming more and more together - and YOUR answers are going to play a part in that. You can be anonymous.

If you haven't participated, please do so. You can do it here as a comment, or email me, or on my Facebook page under "Gavin's Groupies".

Thanks a bunch! And thank you to everyone who has participated, it's been enjoyable to read.

Original post here.

PLEASE ALSO INCLUDE YOUR CHILDS ANSWERS. REGARDLESS OF HOW YOUNG THEY ARE.