We’re increasingly seeing blind people around who wear sunglasses and holds a walking stick, doing their things as most people do.
Blind people are no longer limited by the use of new technology. They can now move from point A to point B and live life just like everyone else. For example, they can go to the store, buy food, and return home. The blind are now able to do this because of new innovations that provide audible signals. They can hear these signals in order to get around better.
Certain things can help identify a blind person. A blind person might be holding a long stick that they use to feel the ground as they walk. This helps them move more smoothly and know where there are holes or bumps in the road.
Before we get into the reasons blind people wear sunglasses, let us define first what is the legal definitions of blindness.
The Legal Definitions of Blindness :
According to an article, the legal definition of blindness is when a person has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in his or her better eye with correction. A person with a 20/20 vision can see at 200 feet, while a person with 20/200 visual acuity can only see at 20 feet.
The visual field is also considered in determining legal blindness. A visual field of 20 degrees or fewer is considered to be legally blind. Eye care professionals can assist in diagnosing legal blindness.
Diagnostic Procedure:
The eye test may include reading an examination chart outlining each category of disabilities and other diagnostic techniques which will reveal whether your eyes are naturally lit up correctly for these categories of disability.
What is Functional Blindness?
When a person uses so many alternative techniques to perform tasks, he is functionally blind. That is, as compared to an ordinary person with sight, his or her daily living is substantially altered. For example, such as reading a newspaper by listening to an audio version of it over the telephone. Reading using Braille is another way.
Although such forms may be physically challenging, they have certain benefits and can often serve as an effective tool in helping people manage their physical difficulties.
What is Low Vision?
Even with the best glasses or contact lenses, a person who is low vision has difficulty performing ordinary tasks. For instance, if you’re walking down an unpaved road and your eyes cannot follow that path because of your distance, then it will be impossible for both of them to see what’s ahead.
Simulations of Vision Loss
Some individuals with a certain eye condition can see some things while not seeing others. For a short period of time, some people may lose a lot of vision, while others lose their vision slowly. Many diseases that cause blindness start to affect a certain part of one’s vision and then slowly progress in taking away more vision.
5 Reasons Why Blind People Wear Sunglasses
1. To protect blind people from UV protection, they wear sunglasses
Ultraviolet rays are harmful to the eyes, and that is a fact. Whether it is a blind person or a person with perfect vision, each of us should protect ourselves. Harmful ultraviolet rays cause eye diseases such as pingueculae, pterygia, photokeratitis, or macular degeneration.
People who are not blind see and feel the sun’s reflections. Instinctively, they know which way to look. And in this way, their eyes are not directly exposed to the danger of ultraviolet rays. This is not the case with the blind. They do not see and do not know at what angle the ultraviolet rays directly collide with their eyes. Therefore, to avoid side effects that would further damage their eyes, they wear sunglasses with proper protection.
But then, why do blind people wear sunglasses at night?
Because even at night, there are ultraviolet rays. They are not as strong as during the day, but they are still there. They bounce off the surface of the moon and bounce off our eyes. It would be strange to see that a person with good vision wears glasses at night, right? But for blind people who already have some vision challenges, sunglasses are used for protection. Even those weak ultraviolet rays can contribute to the deterioration of the condition.
2. Blind people can avoid physical dangers around them.
Those who have good eyesight can notice the physical dangers that can harm the eyes. However, this is not the case with the blind and that is why the glasses play a protective role here.
Imagine yourself walking on a sidewalk with planted trees. One protruding branch of a tree poses a danger to your eyes. Since you are aware of this, you step aside and avoid it. For blind people, this is one reason why they wear sunglasses, to protect them not only from dirt or dust but from possible physical harm.
3. To identify a blind person.
Seeing somebody wearing sunglasses and carrying a white cane to help guide the person while walking is an obvious sign of blindness. In certain situations, some blind people may choose to wear sunglasses for this reason. Furthermore, it encourages people to show helpful behaviors to the blind, like keeping a safe distance when walking with them, especially in crowded areas.
4. For aesthetic reasons, blind people wear sunglasses
Some blind people may have a disfigurement in the area around their eyes. So, they wear sunglasses to hide those deformities, which somehow increase their self-confidence. It’s like a signal to others that the person is blind, but to the blind person, it is a security blanket. For aesthetic reasons and to increase self-confidence, blind people with extremely obvious eye deformities, also prefer to wear sunglasses.
5. Blind people may improve their vision if they wear sunglasses
To a vast majority of legally blind people who have some degree of vision, wearing sunglasses may help. It can help them maximize what they can see.
Visually impaired people commonly experience photophobia or light sensitivity. Wearing sunglasses is what protects them. Not only do they cause discomfort, but worse, further vision loss.
Conclusion
In this article, we have singled out the most important reasons why blind people wear sunglasses. While some people would believe that blind people wear sunglasses to conceal their eyes, that’s not always the case. Practical and basic reasons as they may seem, wearing sunglasses are used mostly for protection.
