Saskatchewan
Blind
Sports
Association
510 Cynthia Street
Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7
Phone 306.975.0888
Toll-free 877.772.7798
Sight
The eye is an intricate structure made up of various
parts working together to produce vision. Vision can be affected when one
element of the structure is not working properly (due to disease, accident, or
congenital conditions).
In many cases, vision may be corrected through the use of
corrective measures (glasses, contacts, minor surgeries).
However there are instances when these measures are not
effective.
To determine whether vision is correctable, a trained and
licensed Optometrist or Ophthalmologist can conduct a series of measurements
and tests to verify what the current vision level is. The standard procedure is to measure:
Visual
Acuity – how clearly the eye can view objects in relation to
normal vision.
Field
of vision – refers to the range of vision, measured by the
degree
the eye is able to see in any direction while looking front.
Loss of
Sight
Describes reduced vision that cannot
be corrected by glasses or contact lenses. It is measured as:
20/30 to 20/60: mild,
near-normal
20/70 to 20/160:
moderate low
Legal Blindness:
Describes
reduced vision that is 10% or less.
20/200 to 20/400: severe
low
20/500 to 20/1,000:
profound low
More than 20/1,000: near
total blindness
No Light Perception: total blindness
Anatomy
of the Eye
Illustration Courtesy of: National Eye
Institute, National Institutes of Health
Retina: nerve
layer that senses light and sends electrical impulses to the optic nerve
Macula: small
central area in the retina containing special light-sensitive cells that allow
us to clearly see fine details
Optic Nerve: connects the eye to the brain and
carries electrical impulses to the visual cortex of the brain
Vitreous: clear, jelly-like substance that fills the middle of the
eye
Cornea: focuses and transmits
light into the eye
Iris: Helps to regulate the
amount of light entering
Pupil: determines
how much light is let in the eye
Lens:
clear part in the eye that focuses in light rays
Sources: Saskatchewan
Association of Optometrists, www.optometrists.sk.ca; www.medicinenet.com;
www.library.thinkquest.org
; National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.
For more
information on sight and sight conditions, contact your local optometrist, ophthalmologist
or CNIB.
Did you know?
The correct language is “people who are blind” or “people
who are partially-sighted”
People who are blind or partially sighted can be and should be as physically active as their sighted counterparts
There
are specific sight classifications for athletes who are blind or partially
sighted:
B1 - From no light
perception in either eye to light perception, but inability to recognize the
shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction
B2 - From ability to
recognize the shape of a hand to a visual acuity of 2/60 and/or visual field of
less than 5 degrees
B3 - From visual
acuity above 2/60 to visual acuity of 6/60 and/or visual field of more than 5
degrees and less than 20 degrees.
Mission
The purpose of SBSA is to promote and
facilitate sport opportunities towards excellence for persons who are blind or
partially sighted, by delivering sport programs, creating awareness, and
advocating for sport inclusion.
Awareness Participation Excellence Inclusion
To Contact Us:
Call 306.975.0888
or
Toll-free
877.772.7798
Fax 306.242.8007
By
email sbsa.sk@shaw.ca
Check
us out on the web
SBSA
gratefully acknowledges
