Question
What are visual impairments?
Answer
In general, visual impairments are due to one of three broad causes. These include:
- Structural impairments or damage to one or more parts of the eye
- Refractive errors, or an inability of the eye to sharply focus images on the back of the retina
- Cortical visual impairments which are due to damage to the brain that interprets visual information
Children with visual impairments might have cataracts, glaucoma, amblyopia (also called lazy eye), strabismus (also called crossed eyes), optic nerve atrophy, bilateral retinoblastoma (a form of cancer), or albinism. Signs of possible vision impairments in children include:
- Constant eye rubbing or chronic eye redness
- Extreme light sensitivity
- Squinting, closing one eye, or misaligned eyes
- Poor focusing or trouble following objects
- Inability to see objects at a distance
- Inability to read a whiteboard or blackboard or trouble reading
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Working with Children with Disabilities: Inclusion Works!, in partnership with Region 9 Head Start Association, presented by Piret Leonetti, EdD.