Registration Criteria
What are the criteria for being registered?
Measuring your visual acuity and visual field helps the Ophthalmologist to decide whether you are eligible to be registered as severely sight impaired / blind or sight impaired / partially sighted.
Your visual acuity is measured by reading down an eye chart while wearing any glasses that you may need. This is known as a Snellen test.
Your field of vision is measured by a field of vision test. Generally to be registered as severely sight impaired (blind) your sight has to fall into one of the following categories:
- Visual acuity of less than 3 / 60 with a full visual field.
- Visual acuity between 3 / 60 and 6 / 60 with a severe reduction of field of vision, such as tunnel vision.
- Visual acuity of 6 / 60 or above but with a very reduced field of vision, especially if a lot of sight is missing in the lower part of the field.
To be registered as sight impaired (partially sighted) your sight has to fall into one of the following categories:
- Visual acuity of 3 / 60 to 6 / 60 with a full field of vision.
- Visual acuity of up to 6 / 24 with a moderate reduction of field of vision or with a central part of vision that is cloudy or blurry.
- Visual acuity of up to 6 / 18 if a large part of your field of vision, for example a whole half of your vision, is missing, or a lot of your peripheral vision is missing.