Visual

Impairm
ent &
Blindnes
s
Prepared by:
Edmaly A. Galdo
Jewel M. Vertudazo
What does it mean to be visually
impaired?

•“Visual impairment including blindness is defined as an

impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely
affects a child’s educational performance. The term
includes both partial, slight, and blindness” (p. 346).

•Visually Impaired can “refer to people who have never

had any visual functioning, as well as those who became
gradually or suddenly partially or totally blind” (p.176).

 For the purpose of this presentation we will focus on visual impairments in

children.
 Importance of early detection:
•According to research the first three
months of a child’s life are the most critical
to the development of the visual system.

•Low vision, fluctuating vision, and blindness

“can severely impede the development of
independence, communication, and social
interactions” (p.140).
.
•“A lack of vision or reduced vision may result in delays or
deficits in motor, linguistic, cognitive, and social-behavioral
development” (p. 346).

•As a result early detection of any visual impairment is crucial in

helping to minimize the negative impact on a young child's
development as they move through life.
What to look for:
Physical Characteristics
The child’s eyes may
1.) be inflamed or watery.
2.) have reoccurring styes or infections.
3.) be red-rimmed, encrusted, and or have swollen
eyelids.
4.) have different sized pupils.
5.) have drooping eyelids.
6.) be sensitive to light.
7.) see well one day and not the next.
8.) be crossed.
9.) be semi closed or squinted.
10.) appear to be focusing in different directions.
What to look for cont…

Behavioral Characteristics
The child may
1.) close or cover one eye.
2.) squint eyes or frown.
3.) complain that things are blurry or hard to see.
4.) have trouble reading or doing other close-up work,
and holds objects close to eyes to see.
5.) blink more than usual.
6.) be cranky when doing close-up work (looking at
books).
When should a child’s vision be checked?

A child’s vision should be checked by an ophthalmologist,

pediatrician, or other trained specialist at:
•Newborn-3 months
•6 months- 1 year
•About 3 years
•About 5 years

•This is especially important if someone in the family has vision

problems as research suggests that certain visual impairments
may be genetic.
What causes visual impairment in
children?
•There are many causes of visual impairments. “Any defect
in the eye itself; in the optic nerve, which carries visual
messages to the brain; or in the vision center in the brain
may result in a visual impairment” (p. 80).
More specifically
vision loss can result
from…
•Damage from injury
•Accidents
•Illness to any part of
the visual system
•Genetic disorders
•Congenital (present
at birth) abnormalities
•Premature birth
Prevalence:

•Childhood blindness and severe visual impairment occurs in

approximately 2 to 10 per 10,000 births.
•Acquired visual impairment during childhood is 1/5 as
prevalent.
•Approximately ½ of congenital (present at birth) and later
onset blindness is the result of genetics.
•Research also suggests that children living with visual
impairments were found to have developmental delays and one
or more other disabilities.

Some common disabilities associated with visual impairments

are:
-Down Syndrome
-Seizure Disorders
Common Childhood Visual
Conditions:
Visual Condition Nature of Effects on Vision
Condition
Albinism At birth, absence of Loss of central
eye pigment. vision, poor depth.
Amblyopia Reduced vision due “Lazy eye”, if
to lack of eye uncorrected brain
alignment. turns off vision in
weaker eye. Depth
and acuity effected.
Congenital Degeneration Profound vision loss
Amaurosis of Leber beginning in utero, at birth.
(CAL) present at birth.

Color Blindness Dysfunction of the Difficulty

cones, present at differentiating
birth. colors.
 Visual Condition Nature of Effects on Vision
Condition
Cortical Visual Lack of visual Aware of flashing
Impairment attention and lights, movement
awareness. and bright colors,
vision changes over
time.
Nystagmus Present at birth or Diminished acuity,
acquired condition. turn head to
compensate.
Optic Atrophy Degeneration of the Slowed pupil
optic nerve. responses, visual
Congenital or field deficits, color
acquired as a result vision loss.
of eye infection.
Optic Nerve Nonprogressive, Minimal vision
Hypoplasia congenital disorder impairment-total
of the optic nerve. blindness.
Retinopathy of Congenital condition Minimal-high vision
Adaptations and Augmentative
Communication:

Curriculum-
•Reading and writing through the use of Braille.
•Listening skills.
•Personal-social and daily living skills.
•Instruction in the use of special aids, equipment, and
alternative learning materials.
• Educators should be familiar with media materials
designed to teach skills and concepts that are normally
acquired through vision.
Orientation and Mobility Related Services-
•Service provided to blind or visually impaired students by
qualified personnel to help these students attain a systematic
orientation to their school environment which allows them to
move within this environment safely.
•Use of information such as sound, temperature, vibrations
etc…to determine location ex. the vibration the water fountain
makes.
•Use of a long cane as a tool to safely negotiate their
environment.
Assistive Technology-
•Braille.
•Talking devices (clocks, spelling aids, speech calculators).
•Computers with speech recognition, magnification capabilities,
and scan and read synthesizers allowing children to put books
onto the computer which will then help them read it.
•Magnifiers, mini telescopes, large print materials and tape
Classroom Implications:

•In addition to assistive technology teachers working with

children who are visually impaired must be especially
sensitive to a child’s emotional needs.

•“An estimated 85% of the information people receive is

transmitted through the visual sense” (p. 130).

•Think about how much information you send out and

receive visually through:
* Facial expression
* Gestures
* Eye contact
* Body language
•Not being able to sense other peoples emotions, feelings,
and or intentions can significantly impact a child’s ability to
acquire appropriate social skills.

•As a result it may be difficult for a child who is visually

impaired to engage in the same meaningful social
opportunities as his/her peers.

•Thus it is important for classroom teachers to provide all

children in their classroom with appropriate opportunities for
desirable peer interaction. Since children who are visually
impaired can not rely on visual cues to gain their peers
attention it is important to

* have size restricted play spaces.

* help them learn all of their classmates names and

identify them by the sounds of their voices (name
games, and circle time songs help ex. who stole the
cookie from the cookie jar?)
Classroom Adaptations:

•Physical environment (clear traffic patterns).

•Seating.
•Reduced glare to help children with some vision see better.
•Provide auditory supplement to visual information (reading
information from board or overhead projector—which could
subsequently assist other non-visually impaired students who
are auditory learners.
•Enhance visual information in the classroom (large and dark
print, dry-erase boards).
•Collaborate with support personnel (vision specialist) providing
support through
-Supplemental instruction.
-Translate material into Braille.
-Serve as a consultant to the general education teacher.
(May also receive services from physical therapist,
occupational therapist, or school nurse if physical disabilities
“Advances in technology and a variety of related
services have facilitated the inclusion of students with
visual impairments in general education classrooms.
The U.S. Department of Education (1998) estimated
that 48% of school-aged students with visual
impairments are in regular classes, 21% receive
services in resource rooms, and 17% are educated in
separate classrooms”.

Please note that statistic is reported from 1998, I’m

wondering if the number of visually impaired children
educated in regular education classrooms is
significantly higher than that today?
Family Involvement:
•“According to current research “professionals agree that
providing support to families and helping them become more
involved in the lives of their visually impaired children are
important components of providing effective services to
individuals with various types of impairments”.
I believe it is our job as
teachers to provide
extended support to the
families of the children in
our classrooms. Helping
families of children who
are visually impaired build
strong community ties
allows for an increased
awareness of and
accessibility to available
resources. Which inturn is
an extremely important
factor in leading a fulfilling
lifestyle for all involved .
 References
Bartlett, L.D., Weisenstein, G.R., & Etscheidt, S. (2002). Successful inclusion for educational leaders.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Disability Info: Visual Impairments Fact Sheet (FS13), http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs13txt.htm

Kemple, K.M. (2004). Let's be friends: Peer competence and social inclusion in early childhood
programs. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

McLean, M., Wolery, M., & Bailey Jr., D.B. (2004). Assessing infants and preschoolers with special
needs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Neibaur Day, J., & Kleinschmidt, J. (2005). The efficacy of family camp experience for families who
have children with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. 99 (12),
775-779.

Paasche, C.L., Gorrill, L., & Strom, B. (2004). Children with special needs in early childhood settings
identification intervention inclusion. Canada: Delmar Learning.

Pueschel, S.M., Scola, P.S., Weidenman, L.E., & Bernier, J.C. (1995). The special child: A source book for
children with developmental disabilities second edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes
Publishing Co.

The National Eye Institue, http://www.nei.nih.gov/index.asp

Vision Loss Fact Sheet,

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/VisionLossFactSheet.pdf.