The document discusses various forms of blindness, including partial and complete blindness, and outlines the leading causes such as cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. It highlights the importance of awareness for those at risk, particularly diabetics, and the need for training and techniques to assist individuals with visual impairments. Additionally, it provides information on braille, its history, and practical advice for interacting with visually impaired individuals.

1. What Is it?

2. Partial blindness means you have very limited vision.
Complete blindness means you cannot see anything
and do not see light.
People with vision worse than 20/200 are considered
legally blind in most states in the United States.
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3. The top cause of blindness is………. Drum Roll……….
Cataracts
48%
Glaucoma
12%
Others
13% AMD
9%
Onchocerciasis Childhood Corneal
Trachoma Blindness Diabetic
1% Opacities
3% Retinopathy
4% 5%
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4. Note: It is important for the diabetic patient to be
Leading Causes aware that dangerous changes in the retina often
of Blindness occur before vision is affected.
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Diabetic Retinopathy:
1) It’s characterized by
ruptures or breaks in the
capillaries and blood
vessels of the retina, it is
the new leading cause of
blindness in the United
States.
1) The longer a person has
diabetes, the greater the
risk of retinopathy—more
than 40 percent of those
who have diabetes for
more than 15 years or
more are at risk.

5. Leading Causes Note: Cataract surgery is like taking the
lens out of a camera.
of Blindness
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CATARACTS
1) Cataracts, a leading
cause of blindness
among adults 45 years
of age and older, are a
clouding of the eye's
lens. As a result, things
look foggy or cloudy.
1) The underlying cause of
cataract formation has
not yet been
determined, although it is
known that a cataract is
associated with chemical
changes within the lens.

6. Note: Glaucoma rarely strikes until after
Leading Causes the age of 35, and sight cannot be
of Blindness restored.
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GLAUCOMA
1) Glaucoma is often called
"the sneak thief of sight."
If left untreated, vision
can be reduced to a
narrow area known as
tunnel vision and
then, total blindness.
1) It is estimated that one
out of every seven blind
persons is a victim of
glaucoma. All of these
individuals had normal
sight most of their lives.

7. Leading Causes Note: The disease does not follow a
predictable course.
of Blindness
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MACULAR DEGENERATION
1) A degenerative disease
that causes a small area
of the eye tissue called
the macula to
deteriorate, usually
occurs in people who are
over 50 years of age.
2) There are two types of
macular degeneration:
1) Dry form which
accounts for
approximately 90
percent of all cases
2) Ten percent are
diagnosed with the wet
form

8. Note: RP is an inherited eye diseases that affect the
Leading Causes retina (the light-sensitive part of the eye)
of Blindness
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1) RP causes the breakdown
of photoreceptor cells
(cells in the retina that
detect light)
2) Symptoms of RP are most
often recognized in
children, adolescents and
young adults
3) There is no known cure for
Retinitis Pigmentosa

9. Mission Statement
"Our mission is to enable persons who are blind to achieve vocational, economic
and social equality by providing career preparation, training in the skills of
blindness and above all, promoting and conveying the belief that blindness is not
a barrier to successful employment, or to living an independent and meaningful
life."
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10. Provides intensive training in
the skills of blindness
Training is built around the use
In a typical six-month training
of "sleep shades“
period students receive intensive
training in:
A. Which eliminate the desire to rely on
A. Cane travel
inadequate or failing vision
B. Braille
B. Which in turn helps one to gain back
self confidence C. Assistive technology
D. Home management
A dormitory is provided for the
E. Personal management
duration of their stay here.
F. industrial arts (Electrical wiring, Power
tools, Plumbing, etc)
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11. Screen magnification Scan/Read Systems:
software
 MAGic  Kurzweil 1000
1) Lets you Scan and read
books, receipts, and newspapers via a
computerized voice
 ZoomText
 OpenBook
 BigShot
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12. Screen Readers and
the WEB
Screen Readers:
JAWS
Windows-Eyes
ZoomText
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13. WRITING BRAILLE
Braille is listed by grades
Grade 1 braille is shown on the following
slide
Grade 2 braille is available here Grade 2
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14. Who Created Braille? Louis Braille, He
was blinded at the age of 4, in 1812.
In 1819 Braille was taught a system of
tangible writing using dots.
• Invented by Captain Charles Barbier
of the French Army.
• It was intended to be used for night-
time Battlefield communications.
Braille at age 15 in 1824 invented the 6
dot Braille cell we use today.
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15. To skip this slide
click next
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16. Always introduce
yourself. While a person
with a visual impairment
may know you, that
person may not
immediately recognize
your voice.
Ask first. Before you rush
to assist someone with a Speak in a normal
task, always ask if your conversational
help is warranted. voice. There is no need
to shout.
When conversing, do not
avoid words such as
blind, look or see. These
are words that are part
of everyday
conversation. Remember
that gestures or nods
may not be noticed.
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17. 12/7/2011 17

18. Slide 2: Visual acuity
http://www.tedmontgomery.com/the_eye/acuity.html
Slide 3:
http://www.unmc.edu/eye/internationalmission.htm
Slide 4-7:
http://www.olmstedcenter.org/About/News-Information/Causes
Slide 8:
THE END
http://primesight.net/education.htm
Slide 9:
& THANKS
Have links to sites
Slide 10:
Have links to sites
Slide 11:
Have links to sites
Slide 12:
Have links to sites
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15419164/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/blind-web-surfers-sue-
target/
Slide 13:
http://www.99main.com/~charlief/vi/braille.html, http://www.visuallyimpairedandtheblind.com/PreviousInterviews.html
Slide 14:
http://web.mit.edu/3.082/www/team3s/braille.html
Slide 17:
http://www.who.int/tobacco/healthwarningsdatabase/tobacco_medium_australia_blindness_02_b_en/en/index.html
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