Vision Resources
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What Defines Vision Loss
Reduced vision that is not correctable can be identified as visually impaired. This is a very general classification. The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the following classifications. These classification levels are currently the most widely accepted in vision care.
When vision in the BETTER eye is:
- 20/30 to 20/60 = mild vision loss, or near-normal vision
- 20/70 to 20/160 = moderate impairment, or moderate low vision
- 20/200 to 20/400 = severe impairment, or severe low vision
- 20/500 to 20/1,000 = profound impairment, or profound low vision
- less than 20/1,000 = near-total impairment, or near total blindness
- no light perception = total impairment, or total blindness
In the United States, any person with vision that cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in the BETTER eye, or who has 20 degrees or less of visual field remaining, is considered legally blind.
One should keep in mind that the combination of factors including visual field, clarity of the optics of the eye, and retinal health can cause an individual with measurable vision of 20/40, to have severe difficulties.
