BLINDNESS

What Is it?

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PARTIAL, 20/200, COMPLETE

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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BLINDNESS BY PERCENTThe top cause of blindness is………. Drum Roll……….

Cataracts48%

Glaucoma12%AMD9%

Corneal

Opac-ities5%

Diabetic Retinopathy5%

Childhood Blindness4%

Tra-chom

a4%

On-chocercia-sis1%

Others13%

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Leading Causes of Blindness

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.

2) 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.

Note: It is important for the diabetic patient to be aware that dangerous changes in the retina often occur before vision is affected.

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Leading Causes of Blindness

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.

2) 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.

Note: Cataract surgery is like taking the lens out of a camera.

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Leading Causes of Blindness

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.

2) 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.

Note: Glaucoma rarely strikes until after the age of 35, and sight cannot be restored.

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Leading Causes of Blindness

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

Note: The disease does not follow a predictable course.

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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

Leading Causes of Blindness

Note: RP is an inherited eye diseases that affect the retina (the light-sensitive part of the eye)

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STATE OF NEW MEXICO

COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND 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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The Adult Orientation Center

Provides intensive training in the skills of blindness

Training is built around the use of "sleep shades“

A. Which eliminate the desire to rely

on inadequate or failing vision

B. Which in turn helps one to gain

back self confidence

A dormitory is provided for the duration of their stay here.

In a typical six-month training period students receive intensive training in:

A. Cane travel

B. Braille

C. Assistive technology

D. Home management

E. Personal management

F. industrial arts (Electrical wiring,

Power tools, Plumbing, etc)

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Assistive Technology

Screen magnification

software

MAGic

ZoomText

BigShot

Scan/Read Systems:

Kurzweil 10001) Lets you Scan and read books,

receipts, and newspapers via a computerized voice

OpenBook

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Screen Readers and the WEB

Screen Readers:

JAWS

Windows-Eyes

ZoomText

Assistive Technology

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Assistive Technology

WRITING BRAILLE

Braille is listed by gradesGrade 1 braille is shown on the following slideGrade 2 braille is available here Grade 2

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Braille Awareness

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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Blindness Awareness

The Encounter Part 1

The Encounter Part 2

To skip this slide click next

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Quick Tips

Speak in a normal conversational

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.

Ask first. Before you rush to assist someone with a task, always ask if your help is warranted.

Always introduce yourself. While a person with a visual impairment

may know you, that person may not

immediately recognize your voice.

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Quick Fact

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Slide 2: Visual acuityhttp://www.tedmontgomery.com/the_eye/acuity.htmlSlide 3: http://www.unmc.edu/eye/internationalmission.htmSlide 4-7: http://www.olmstedcenter.org/About/News-Information/CausesSlide 8: http://primesight.net/education.htmSlide 9: Have links to sites Slide 10: Have links to sitesSlide 11: Have links to sitesSlide 12: Have links to siteshttp://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.htmlSlide 17: http://www.who.int/tobacco/healthwarningsdatabase/tobacco_medium_australia_blindness_02_b_en/en/index.html

My slide references

THE END &

THANKS