ABSTRACT
Visual impairment has many different medical causes, and pupils’ needs vary considerably. It is most important for teachers and support staff to understand the functional implications of a pupil’s visual impairment, as this will affect the approaches used to meet the pupil’s needs. The functional implications of partial sight can be categorised into several broad headings, of which one or many may apply to different pupils. Visual acuity is the clarity or sharpness of the overall image. Central vision loss affects the ability to detect fine detail. Pupils with central vision loss are likely to find tasks involving reading, writing and close observation difficult. Peripheral vision loss can create the opposite effect to central vision loss, resulting in a circular tunnel-like field of vision. Severe interrupted vision can result in pupils finding many visual tasks extremely difficult, or even impossible. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
