What Do Blind People See? Facts And Research - Healthline

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What they see

What a blind person can see depends a great deal on how much vision they have. A person with total blindness won’t be able to see anything.

But a person with low vision may be able to see not only light, but colors and shapes too. However, they may have trouble reading street signs, recognizing faces, or matching colors to each other.

If you have low vision, your vision may be unclear or hazy. Some visual deficits cause part of your field of vision to be compromised.

You might have a blind spot or a blurry spot in the middle of your field of vision. Or your peripheral vision may be impaired on one or both sides. These issues can involve one or both eyes.

Types of blindness

There are a few different types of visual impairment that fall into the overall category of blindness.

Low vision

If you have permanently reduced vision but retain some amount of your sight, you have low vision.

The American Foundation for the Blind describes low vision as “permanently reduced vision that cannot be corrected with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery.”

However, you may still be able to see well enough with those corrective measures or magnifying devices to carry out most of your normal activities of daily living. But you may have some difficulties.

Many conditions can lead to low vision, including:

macular degeneration
glaucoma
cataracts
damage to the retina

Total blindness

Total blindness describes people with eye disorders who have no light perception (NLP). That is, a person who’s totally blind doesn’t see any light at all.

Total blindness can be the result of trauma, injury, or even conditions like end stage glaucoma or end stage diabetic retinopathy.

Congenital blindness

This description applies to people who are blind from birth. Some congenital eye conditions can develop during pregnancy and lead to blindness, while the causes of others are still unknown.

Legally blind

So, where does “legally blind” belong? Think of it more as a classification than a functional description of what a person can or can’t see or do.

Think 20/200. If you have to get within 20 feet of an object to see it clearly, when another person could easily see it from 200 feet away, you may fall into this category.

Research estimates that approximately 1 million people in the United States can be considered legally blind.

What research says

You may find it interesting to ponder how blind people see and perceive information from the world around them.

For example, some people without sight may be able to process certain information with cues other than visual ones, like sound or vibration.

Keep in mind this isn’t true for everyone. Many people who have impaired vision don’t have additional sensory abilities that help them compensate for their vision loss.

Processing information

A small 2009 study found that some people who have severe vision impairment may use parts of their brain that sighted people use for processing vision. The visually impaired people may use these “vision” areas to process other tasks.

Sleep issues

It may be harder for blind people to get a good night’s sleep, as their vision loss affects their ability to distinguish between day and night.

Another issue is that blind people may have more nightmares than sighted people, according to a 2013 study.

Researchers studied 25 blind people and 25 sighted people. They found that the blind participants experienced four times as many nightmares as the people without vision loss.

Circadian rhythm disorder

It’s very common for people with total blindness to experience a condition called non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder. This is a rare type of circadian rhythm disorder.

The inability to sense light prevents a person’s body from being able to correctly reset their biological clock, which results in a disrupted sleep schedule. Research shows that certain medications can help, however.

A 2015 study published in Lancet showed positive results from a randomized, double-blind study that examined the use of a drug called tasimelteon, which is a melatonin receptor agonist. The medication can help these people avoid the exhausting cycle of daytime fatigue and nighttime insomnia.

Misconceptions

There are a number of misconceptions that people have about blind people. If you’ve ever heard that blind people have better hearing than sighted people, you’ve encountered one of the most common ones.

Some blind people do have a very good sense of hearing, and blind people are able to glean a lot of useful information by listening.

But that doesn’t mean their actual sense of hearing is superior to someone who’s not blind — or that all blind people have great hearing.

Here are a few other misconceptions about blindness or blind people.

Eating carrots will save your vision

It’s true that carrots can be part of a diet that supports eye health. Carrots are high in the antioxidants beta carotene and lutein, which can fight against free radicals that might cause damage to your eyes.

Your body uses beta carotene to make vitamin A, which can promote eye health and reduce the likelihood of developing age-related eye disease. But eating carrots won’t restore a blind person’s sight.

Blindness is an ‘all or nothing’ condition

Most people with vision loss aren’t completely blind. They may have some sight, which means they have low vision. They may have some residual vision, which could allow them to see light or color or shapes.

According to the American Foundation for the Blind, only about 15 percent fall into the “totally blind” category.

Everyone with vision impairment needs corrective lenses

Your need for glasses, contact lenses, or surgery depends on your specific situation, including your diagnosis and how much vision you do have. People with total vision loss won’t benefit from visual aids, so they won’t need to use them.

If you sit too close to the TV, you’ll go blind

Generations of parents have uttered some version of that warning, but all for naught. It’s not actually true.

How to offer support

Experts say that family support for someone who’s losing their vision or adjusting to vision loss is critical to their adjustment process.

Research suggests that social support helps adults with low vision adjust more successfully to their condition and remain independent. It may also help ward off depression.

Sighted people can take on many other roles to offer their support. They can raise awareness about vision loss and the best ways to assist blind people or people with low vision. They can debunk myths and clear up any misconceptions about people who have vision loss.

You can also make a big difference in the lives of individuals who are blind. You can be thoughtful and courteous in how you approach a person with vision loss.

Experts suggest greeting the person first. Then ask if you can help them, rather than just jumping in and trying to help them. Listen to the person’s answer. If they ask for help in a certain way, respect their wishes and don’t try to do something else instead. If they decline your help, respect that choice as well.

If you live with a person with vision loss or regularly interact with someone who’s blind, you can talk to them about the best way to provide support to them on an ongoing basis.

The bottom line

Blind people are just like sighted people in most ways, but they may see the world differently.

If you interact with someone who has low vision or total blindness, ask them how you can best help them, and honor their choices.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, M.D. — Written by Jennifer Larson on November 20, 2019

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What they see

Types of blindness

Low vision

Total blindness

Congenital blindness

Legally blind

What research says

Processing information

Sleep issues

Circadian rhythm disorder

Misconceptions

Eating carrots will save your vision

Blindness is an ‘all or nothing’ condition

Everyone with vision impairment needs corrective lenses

If you sit too close to the TV, you’ll go blind

How to offer support

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

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