Legally Blind

What does ‘legally blind’ mean?

“Legal blindness” is a term that defines severe vision loss. It isn’t a medical term. Instead, government agencies use it when determining how to apply policies relating to vision loss. If your visual acuity is equal to or less than the definition’s thresholds, you qualify as “legally blind.”

Total blindness is when everything appears dark (the technical term for this is “no light perception” or “NLP”). But only about 15% of people with eye disorders fall under that. The other 85% of people with eye disorders have at least some degree of functional eyesight.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the U.S. government agency responsible for the regulations surrounding legal blindness. They use a definition for legal blindness set by the American Medical Association in 1934. According to that definition, “legally blind” means at least one of the following applies:

• You have 20/200 (or worse) eyesight, even with correction. This means that even with glasses or contacts, you still have 20/200 eyesight or worse eyesight in the center of your field of view. If you have better sight in one eye, the measurement comes from the eye with the better vision.
• You have a field of view that’s no more than 20 degrees wide. If one eye has a wider field of view, the measurement comes from that better eye.

What does 20/200 mean?

If you don’t have 20/20 eyesight, the second number tells whether or not your eyesight is better or worse than normal:

• If the second number is smaller, you have better-than-normal eyesight. It means people with “normal” eyesight have to stand closer to see something as well as you can.
• If the second number is bigger, you have worse-than-normal eyesight. It means someone with normal eyesight can stand farther away and still see an object just as clearly as you can. In the case of 20/200 eyesight, that means you have to stand 10 times closer to an object or the object has to be 10 times bigger to see it as clearly as someone who has normal eyesight.

What is legally blind vs. blind?

The 20/200 threshold for “legally blind” is the only threshold set in the U.S. But some countries use other terms or define even more severe levels of vision impairment.

One example is the United Kingdom, which uses the metric system. For that country, 6/60 — about the same as 20/200 — means “sight impaired (partially sighted).” They also set a threshold at 6/150 — or 20/500 in feet — and define that as “severely sight impaired (blind).”

And many countries throughout the world rely on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for their legal thresholds. The 11th (and latest) edition of the ICD uses vision impairment categories, with three categories for “blindness.”

The ICD vision impairment and blindness categories use the following criteria:

How common is legal blindness?

Legal blindness is uncommon, but experts expect the number of people with it will climb sharply over the next few decades. A study in 2016 calculated just over 1 million people in the U.S. meet the 20/200 eyesight criteria. That same study also estimated the number will double by 2050.

How do I get a certification for legal blindness?

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) is the main agency responsible for setting the requirements for a legal blindness certification.

Some important details you may want to know include:

• The SSA may be able to request records. While you’re responsible for providing evidence to support that you have legal blindness, the SSA can and will assist you in collecting that evidence if necessary. One way they can do that is by requesting records from your eye care specialist(s) or healthcare provider(s). Your provider or specialist will need your permission to share those records first.
• Your provider is the preferred source of information. But if you don’t have one or if there’s another reason your provider isn’t able to meet the exam requirements, the SSA can arrange a consultative examination. That exam can determine if you meet the criteria for legal blindness.
• You may still qualify for legal blindness certification even if your vision loss might not be permanent. The duration of your vision loss (if it’s temporary or reversible) may not prevent you from getting these kinds of support.

What benefits can you get if you are legally blind?

Having a certificate of legal blindness in the United States means you qualify for a number of benefits and services. Federal benefits that become available two years after you receive a legal blindness certification in the U.S. include:

• Monthly Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments.
• Monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments (these may vary by state).
• Insurance coverage through Medicare (even if you aren’t over age 65).

In the U.S., you might also qualify for additional support and services depending on what state you live in. To learn more about what’s available, you can talk to your eye care specialist or a healthcare provider to ask for guidance. You may also want to contact your state’s optometric board/association, as many of them can help you learn more about available programs and resources.

Outside the U.S., the benefits process and available supports can vary widely. You may want to talk to your eye care specialist, healthcare provider, government health agencies or other reputable sources to learn more.