CHAPTER ONE A - (SEEING) VISION (000-009)

This chapter reflects the consequences of impairments of vision at the level of activity of the individual. In vision the all or none phenomena are full sight and blindness. The major part of visually impaired have different degrees of low vision. Therefore the classification requires qualifiers which indicate the manner of accomplishment of the activity.

Interference in personal activities by visual impairment leads to use of compensatory techniques that are either those typical to blind persons or those typical to persons with low vision. A person may use different techniques in different tasks. For example:

  • A person with tubular visual field may need to use a long cane to walk but may be able to read like a sighted person (because we use rather small central field when reading).
  • A person with central scotoma (in both eyes or in the only eye) may have good vision for mobility but may prefer talking books when reading.
  • A person may have normal vision for orientation and mobility in day light but may need techniques of a blind person at low luminance levels because of loss of rod function, night vision.
  • A person with normal visual acuity but poor saccadic movements of the eyes is severely visually disabled in reading tasks and needs to develop compensatory techniques and use compensatory devices.

The usefulness of vision needs to be assessed in at least four important areas of daily functioning: vision for

  1. communication (includes also interpersonal relation and access to information) ,
  2. orientation and mobility (includes transferring oneself),
  3. activities of daily life ( includes manipulating and moving objects).
  4. sustained near vision tasks like reading and writing but also a number of other demanding near vision tasks.

In each of these four main functional areas, where loss of vision changes the function, a person may use vision like a sighted person, like a person with low vision or may function like a blind person.

If in a certain culture there is an additional important function not mentioned above, this particular function should be considered separately. The limitation in functioning can be sensory or motor or a combination of sensory and motor impairments.

001 Vision in communication, technique used is that of
A: a sighted person
B: a person with low vision
C: a blind person
002 Vision in orientation and mobility, technique used is of
A: a sighted person
B: a person with low vision
C: a blind person
003 Vision in activities of daily life, technique used is of
A: a sighted person
B: a person with low vision
C: a blind person
004 Vision in sustained near vision tasks, technique used is of
A: a sighted person
B: a person with low vision
C: a blind person
005 - other specified problems in vision
incl. short reading time because vision becomes blurred due to decrease in circulation in the visual pathways or fatigue due to motor problems

Other specified

Not specified

The activities coded in this chapter represent a manifestation or impact of visual impairments in activities of day-to-day life. The accomplishment of activities is coded in its own right without reference to the nature of the underlying impairment. The decision of the type of technique used is based on the general use of different techniques by the visually impaired persons. The degree of disability in each of the four main areas is assessed separately when the person is preferably using appropriate techniques. If the person has not learned appropriate techniques, specific notice needs to be made on that inappropriate/ineffective techniques were used.