Introduction
The definition of vision impairment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a visually impaired person's eyesight cannot be corrected to a “normal level”. It may be said that visual impairment is the functional limitation of the eye or eyes or the vision system.
The most common causes of visual impairment globally are uncorrected refractive errors (43%), cataracts (33%), and glaucoma (2%). Refractive errors include near sighted, far sighted, presbyopia, and astigmatism. Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness. Other disorders that may cause visual problems include age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal clouding, childhood blindness, and a number of infections. Visual impairment can also be caused by problems in the brain due to stroke, prematurity, or trauma among others. These cases are known as cortical visual impairment.
What's it like to be visually impaired? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9CawJSUy2c
Key facts
- 285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 have low vision.
- About 90% of the worlds visually impaired live in low-income settings.
- 82% of people living with blindness are aged 50 and above.
- Globally, uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of moderate and severe visual impairment; cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness in middle- and low-income countries.
- The number of people visually impaired from infectious diseases has reduced in the last 20 years according to global estimates work.
- 80% of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured.
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/sec508/htm/blindness.htm
Task
Braille
Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. Teachers, parents, and others who are not visually impaired ordinarily read braille with their eyes. Braille is not a language. Rather, it is a code by which many languages—such as English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and dozens of others—may be written and read. Braille is used by thousands of
people all over the world in their native languages, and provides a means of literacy for all.
The Braille Story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IQKqPaICKI
Process
Stevie Wonder
One of the most famous blind people of our times, was born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. Stevie became blind as a result of receiving too much oxygen in the incubator as a premature baby. Stevie Wonder was just 11 years old when he was discovered by Ronnie White of the Motown band the Miracles. In 1962, the newly renamed Little Stevie Wonder, working with a Motown songwriter, released his debut album, Little Stevie Wonder the 12 Year Old Genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPzbxU-8AeE
Evaluation
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) or Terry syndrome, previously known as retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), is a disease of the eye affecting prematurely-born babies generally having received intensive neonatal care, in which oxygen therapy is used on them due to the premature development of their lungs. This was the leading cause of blindness in children in the 1940s and 1950s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSx5C9Icoeo
The most effective proven treatments for ROP are laser therapy or cryotherapy. Laser therapy “burns away” the periphery of the retina, which has no normal blood vessels. With cryotherapy, physicians use an instrument that generates freezing temperatures to briefly touch spots on the surface of the eye that overlie the periphery of the retina. Both laser treatment and cryotherapy destroy the peripheral areas of the retina, slowing or reversing the abnormal growth of blood vessels. Unfortunately, the treatments also destroy some side vision. This is done to save the most important part of our sight. The sharp, central vision we need for “straight ahead” activities such as reading, sewing, and driving.
Conclusion
This WebQuest was created to provide some education regarding visual impairment and one of the things that causes it in babies. Today, with the rapid development of technology, everyday tasks are no more a struggle for those who are visually impaired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQPHNGvfc2E - Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired teaches children how to adapt to their disability, and how to thrive independently both in and out of school.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsO4Lyc8WmE - This technology communicates with the visually impaired person and alerts them if there is anything in the way.