Vision impairment and handicap: The RVIB Employment Survey

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between t ype of vision impairment and disability and the handicap or impact of visio n loss on functioning. Methods: Participants were interviewed for the Royal Victorian institute fo r the Blind Employment Survey, and asked to self-report whether totally bli nd or not (vision impaired). Causes of visual impairment were also reported . Eyesight was rated on a scale from 0 (completely blind) to 10 (best possi ble eyesight). Difficulty with mobility personal care, household activities , work and hobbies and social interactions were also rated. Participants wi th vision impair ment also rated their level of disability in reading and s eeing other people's reactions using the same scale. Results: Of the 250 participants, 39 self reported total blindness. Partici pants with vision impairment experienced greater levels of difficulty in al most all areas than people who self-reported total blindness. People with v ision impairment due to glaucoma and macular degeneration reported signific antly more difficulty with reading newspapers, while there was a borderline significant relationship between difficulty with seeing people's reactions and macular degeneration. Conclusions: in summary, we found that difficulty associated with everyday tasks was greater than might, be expected from self-report of vision. This study confirms the need for visual function tools to supplement the use of objective visual acuity measurements in people with vision impairment.