Mar. 17--Today, David Paterson becomes the first governor who is legally blind. But what does that mean?
Legally blind in New York is defined as 20/200 vision or worse, which means that someone looking at an eye chart with their best eye and wearing the best corrective measures like glasses can see only the top line or nothing at all, according to the American Foundation for the Blind. Also, people with a visual field of less than 20 degrees -- instead of the normal 180 degrees -- are considered legally blind.
About 1.1 Americans are legally blind and 10 percent of those are completely blind, according to a 1999 study by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
"There's a big difference between needing glasses and not being able to see with the glasses," said Dr. John Simon, chief of the ophthalmology department at Albany Medical College. "Second, there is a big difference between being able to see 20/200, which is legally blind by the state's definition, and not being able to see anything at all."
Perfect vision, 20/20, means that someone standing 20 feet away from an eye chart can see what an average person sees. By comparison, a person who has 20/200 vision, when standing 20 feet from the chart, sees what a person with normal vision sees at 200 feet away. Doctors also use finger counting or hand motion to evaluate a patient's sight, and finally light perception. A person is totally blind when there is no light perception.
Paterson can shoot baskets with his kids, see shapes and read text for brief periods of time, but he can't recognize a face unless it is someone familiar to him standing very close.
Paterson lost his vision when he suffered an infection when he was 3 months old. He lost all sight in his left eye and most of his sight in his right eye. The optic nerve that carries information from the retina to his brain is damaged.
"If he's able to shoot the basketball into the basket, he can't be too much worse than 20/200, but that's really speculating," Simon said.
Dan Howley contributed to this report. Cathleen F. Crowley can be reached at 454-5348, or by e-mail at ccrowley@timesunion.com.
For more information
Northeastern Association of the Blind: 463-1211; http://www.naba-vision.org/
DEFINITIONS
Legal blindness can be defined two ways, one based on visual acuity or clarity, the other on field of vision, according to Maureen Strainge, co-director of rehabilitation services for the Northeastern Association of the Blind in Albany.
Here's how Strainge described them.
--Visual acuity: A person is legally blind whose visual acuity or clarity is 20/200 or worse in his best eye wearing the best corrective glasses, while normal vision is 20/20. Strainge used traffic lights as a point of reference, explaining that a person with 20/20 vision can clearly see the traffic lights at a distance of 200 feet, while a person with 20/200 vision couldn't see the lights at all until he was 20 feet away.
--FIELD OF VISION: Eye diseases affect vision differently and advanced stages of glaucoma or retinitis pigmentosa can reduce a person's field of vision to less than 20 percent, the second definition of legal blindness. A person's normal field of vision from left to right in front of him is 180 degrees and the closing of the field is known as tunnel vision. Strainge noted that a person may have 20/20 vision within that limited field of vision, but if two people were standing side-by-side right in front of him, he would be able to see only one at a time.
CAUSES OF BLINDNESS AND VISION IMPAIRMENT
Inherited diseases (such as retinitis pigmentosa), trauma, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and damage to the optic nerve.
Chester Finn, 52, Albany
Special assistant to the commissioner at the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Born blind
Reads with Braille, and uses a walking stick
"I can see some lights and some shapes if there is sunshine.
"I don't rely on my vision because it's not reliable.
"If someone came up to me, I'd hear them before I saw them.
"When I was younger, I could read large print."
David Liscomb, 61, Watertown
Switchboard operator and receptionist at Jefferson Rehabilitation Center and
President of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State.
Born with vision problems, totally blind in right eye, and his left eye has 20/300 vision and nystagmus, an uncontrollable eye movement, and tunnel vision.
He can read large text and with Braille, and uses a walking stick.
"In private, I feel very comfortable using Braille, but in public I feel more self-conscious."
If someone were standing before him "I might see their facial features, but because of the way my eye sees, it may not focus correctly.
"I can distinguish bright colors, but not dark colors. Yellow is a good color for me.
"At night, my sight is useless. I can't see at all."
Numerous conditions can cause blindness; here a few, along with examples of what the world may look like to those with these visual impairments.
Diabetic retinopathy: progressive damage to the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye, as a result of diabetes.
Macular degeneration: progressive disease that affects central part of retina and causes a gradual loss of vision.
Glaucoma: disease characterized by damage to the optic nerve, often the result of high pressure in the eye.
Comprehending low vision
are some commonly asked questions about low-vision issues, with answers provided by the Northeastern Association of the Blind in Albany.
Q: What is low vision?
A: When an individual experiences low vision, he or she often has difficulty reading, writing, seeing the television, or doing certain everyday living activities, even with prescription glasses. Most individuals develop low vision because of certain eye conditions, such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
Q: What is the purpose of a low vision exam?
A: The purpose of a low-vision exam is to help the individual make better use of his or her remaining vision. This is done by prescribing magnifiers and other low vision aids, and providing training in their use.
Q: What is a low vision specialist?
A: A low-vision specialist is an optometrist who specializes in low vision, and has received specific training in prescribing the different magnifiers, telescopes, glasses and other low vision aids that are used by individuals with vision impairments. Patients of NABA's low vision center continue to see their ophthalmologists for regular eye care.
Q: Who should have a low vision exam?
A: Legally blind individuals seeking strong magnifiers and telescopes to allow them to continue ordinary tasks; nonlegally blind individuals wanting to try magnifiers that may be helpful; individuals interested in Closed Circuit Televisions, which allow for easier reading, writing, viewing of photographs, etc.
Q: What happens during a low-vision exam?
A: The doctor will discuss your specific visual problems and determine which vision aids will be most beneficial to you. With the doctor's assistance, you will be able to try a variety of magnifiers, reading glasses, distance vision aids and sunwear.
Q: What is a CCTV?
A: A CCTV -- or closed circuit television -- is a device that enlarges print up to 60 times its original size. A combination of a camera and lenses inside the machine allows the reader to see more of a page than when using a magnifier. Some units are portable, some are free-standing, and others connect to a home television. Prices range from $800 to $2,600.
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