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Visual Fields of Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired

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Visual Fields

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

Visual field refers to how great an area a person can see and is measured, in degrees, as an angle. If a person with normal vision looks straight ahead, he should be able to see nearly all of the objects in a half-circle (approximately 160-180 degrees, with an equal area perceived on each side of the nose and 120 degrees on the vertical*). The central one-third of the visual field is seen by both eyes. A visual deficit may be a central field loss, or may occur elsewhere in the visual field. A person is said to have low vision if  they can only see a 40-20 degree field, or less, in their best eye. ​

Central Vision

Central vision (or macula vision), the "what" system, provides color discrimination and allows critical or sharp (exact) seeing tasks. Reading, whether at close or at a distance is a task that requires central vision. This is the vision which is improved when corrective lenses are prescribed. When the macula is not developed sufficiently (as in total cataract) or is deteriorated (as in macula degeneration) corrective lenses are of no value. Seldom can acuity be better than 20/200 if macula or central vision is lost. With this problem a student may wear no glasses, appear to see normally and not be able to do any critical visual task. The following conditions typically affect the central visual field: Macular Degeneration, Cone Dystrophies, and Central Scotomas.

Peripheral Vision

Peripheral vision, the "where" system, provides awareness of movement and serves in dim light and is vital for mobility. 

The following conditions typically affect the peripheral visual field: Chorioretinitis, Glaucoma, Retinal Detachment, and Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Some visual conditions can affect both combined central and peripheral field impairments: Coloboma, Optic Nerve Disorders and Diseases, Optic Atrophy, Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and Septo-Optic Dysplasia, Hemianopsia, and Strokes.

Types of Field Loss

There are different types of visual field loss. 
  • A scotoma is a blind spot that may occur at any location in the visual field. 
  • Hemanopsia is a condition in which half of the visual field is absent from one or both eyes. 
  • In tunnel vision, the visual field is constricted to the central vision. 
Loss of vision in one eye does not reduce vision by 50%. Although there is a loss of vision on the affected side and a general loss of depth perception, it is not a loss of half of the visual system. It is possible to good central vision with limited peripheral vision and to have good peripheral vision with limited central vision. ​

Eccentric Gaze

If a student has scotomas or blind spots, the student could have an eccentric view and need to direct their gaze differently (ex. looking to the right or left or above the object being viewed) and will appear to not be looking directly at an object.
*Ward, Marjorie E., Foundations of Low Vision: Clinical and Functional Perspectives. AFB Press 2004. p. 73 

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The mission of Teaching Students with Visual Impairments is to provide all persons involved in education students who are blind or visually impaired with the necessary resources to help each student become successful members of their communities and to equip those in the visual impairment field with resources to meet the wide range of needs of the students they serve. ​
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  • Home
  • Foundations of VI
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  • VI Service
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  • About
  • Contact
  • VI Store & Gifts
    • VI Gift Shop >
      • Braille Jewely
      • VI Shirts
      • VI Drinkware
      • Vision Bags & Totes
      • Braille Greeting Cards
      • White Cane Tags/Keyrings
    • ECC Instructional Resources >
      • TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle
      • TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC
      • Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheets
      • Visual Efficiency & Magnifier Fluency
      • Task Box Activities
      • Vocabularky Cards & Checklists
      • Interactive Sensory Stories
      • Interactive Matching Activities
      • Untitled
    • Purchase Recorded Presentations >
      • Presentation Complete Set of 16
      • Foundations of Teaching the ECC
      • Itinerant Teaching Strategies & Tips
      • Strategies & Activities for SIDPID
      • Strategies & Activities for MIMO
      • Job Tasks for Jobs, Career & Life
      • Strategies & Activities for Standard Course of Study
      • Accommodations for BLVI
      • Accessible Content for BLVI
      • Using Themes to Teach the ECC
      • Tips for Being a Physically Fit TVI
      • Conducting a FVLMA
      • Developing SMARTER Goals
      • Determining Service Intensity Using the VISSIT
      • Selecting the Right AT
      • The Art of Teaching the ECC
      • Activities to Teach the ECC
    • Job Postings
    • Product Support
  • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • TVI, Jersey City, NJ
    • O&M Specialist, Jersey City, NJ
    • Consulting Teacher for Blind/Low Vision, Idaho
    • TVI or Dual TVI/COMS, North Carolina
    • TVI Portland & Brunswick, Maine
    • Assistant Director Edu. Services for Blind & VI, Maine
  • Paid Member Pages
    • Recorded Presentations
    • Complete Set Bonus
    • Interactive Sensory Stories
    • Interactive Matching Activities
    • Interactive Visual Discrimination Activities
  • Free Member Pages
    • Free Program Printables
    • Free FVLMA & Service Printables
    • Free VI AT Printables
    • Compensatory Goals
    • Sensory Efficiency Goals
    • Assistive Technology Goals
    • Social Skills Goals
    • Independent Living Goals
    • Recreation & Leisure Goals
    • Self Determination Goals
    • Career & Vocational Goals