Vision rehabilitation, changes in the environment, assistive devices (eyeglasses, white cane)[2]
Frequency
940 million / 13% (2015)[5]
Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment – visual impairment may cause the individual difficulties with normal daily tasks including reading and walking.[6] The terms low vision and blindness are often used for levels of impairment which are difficult or impossible to correct and significantly impact daily life. In addition to the various permanent conditions, fleeting temporary vision impairment, amaurosis fugax, may occur, and may indicate serious medical problems.[7][8][9]
The most common causes of visual impairment globally are uncorrected refractive errors (43%), cataracts (33%), and glaucoma (2%).[1] Refractive errors include near-sightedness, far-sightedness, presbyopia, and astigmatism.[1] Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness.[1] Other disorders that may cause visual problems include age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal clouding, childhood blindness, and a number of infections.[10] Visual impairment can also be caused by problems in the brain due to stroke, premature birth, or trauma, among others.[11] These cases are known as cortical visual impairment.[11] Screening for vision problems in children may improve future vision and educational achievement.[12] Screening adults without symptoms is of uncertain benefit.[13] Diagnosis is by an eye exam.[2]
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of visual impairment is either preventable or curable with treatment.[1] This includes cataracts, the infections river blindness and trachoma, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, uncorrected refractive errors, and some cases of childhood blindness.[14] Many people with significant visual impairment benefit from vision rehabilitation, changes in their environment, and assistive devices.[2]
As of 2015[update], there were 940 million people with some degree of vision loss.[5] 246 million had low vision and 39 million were blind.[1] The majority of people with poor vision are in the developing world and are over the age of 50 years.[1] Rates of visual impairment have decreased since the 1990s.[1] Visual impairments have considerable economic costs both directly due to the cost of treatment and indirectly due to decreased ability to work.[15]
^ abcdefghi"Visual impairment and blindness Fact Sheet N°282". August 2014. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
^ abcde"Blindness and Vision Impairment". February 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
^Auger RR, Burgess HJ, Emens JS, Deriy LV, Thomas SM, Sharkey KM (October 2015). "Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Intrinsic Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (ASWPD), Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (DSWPD), Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder (N24SWD), and Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder (ISWRD). An Update for 2015: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline". Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 11 (10): 1199–236. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5100. PMC 4582061. PMID 26414986.
^Blaylock, SE; Vogtle, LK (June 2017). "Falls prevention interventions for older adults with low vision: A scoping review". Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 84 (3): 139–147. doi:10.1177/0008417417711460. PMID 28730900. S2CID 7567143.
^ abVos T, Allen C, Arora M, Barber RM, Bhutta ZA, Brown A, et al. (GBD 2015 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators) (October 2016). "Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015". Lancet. 388 (10053): 1545–1602. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31678-6. PMC 5055577. PMID 27733282.
^"Vision Impairment and Blindness | Examination-Based Studies | Information on Data Sources | Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System | Vision Health Initiative (VHI) | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
^"Visually Impaired People (VIP) - Education & Engagement". Bat ConservationTrust. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^"Home page". Warrington VIP Centre. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^Rountree, Helen (Autumn 2018). "Working with a VIP (Visually Impaired Person)". IH World. 45. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
^GLOBAL DATA ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS 2010(PDF). WHO. 2012. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-03-31.
^ abLehman SS (September 2012). "Cortical visual impairment in children: identification, evaluation and diagnosis". Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. 23 (5): 384–7. doi:10.1097/ICU.0b013e3283566b4b. PMID 22805225. S2CID 33865357.
^Mathers M, Keyes M, Wright M (November 2010). "A review of the evidence on the effectiveness of children's vision screening". Child. 36 (6): 756–80. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01109.x. PMID 20645997.
^Siu AL, Bibbins-Domingo K, Grossman DC, Baumann LC, Davidson KW, Ebell M, et al. (March 2016). "Screening for Impaired Visual Acuity in Older Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement". JAMA. 315 (9): 908–14. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0763. PMID 26934260.
^"Causes of blindness and visual impairment". Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
^Rein DB (December 2013). "Vision problems are a leading source of modifiable health expenditures". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 54 (14): ORSF18-22. doi:10.1167/iovs.13-12818. PMID 24335062.
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