The definition of “legally blind” is having a visual acuity of 20/200. This means that even with glasses or contacts, you can only read the first letter at the top of the Snellen Chart, if that. You can also be legally blind if you can see, but only in a very small window in your eye. Essentially, even if you can see, if you can’t see enough to function on a regular basis, you can probably be considered legally blind. Note that legally blind is not totally blind. While legally blind people still might be able to see technically, people who are totally blind will not be able to sense light or see anything at all.
Does this qualify you for disability? Not necessarily! To be “statutorily blind”, as SSA requires, that visual acuity of 20/200 must be in your BETTER eye AFTER best correction (as with glasses or contacts). This means your WORST eye has to have an even poorer visual acuity or be fully blind. This satisfies SSA’s “Listing 2.02”.
Additional SSA visual Listings touch on your visual field, meaning you have a severe loss of what is better known as peripheral vision.
It is important to make a distinction between a commonly understood meaning of being “legally blind” and the more strict definition of “statutory blindness” that SSA requires for a finding of disability.
