Severity Indicators

Mild Condition

The following would normally be characteristic of a child with a mild condition.

• Visual acuity of greater than (>) 6/18 (20/60)
• Reasonable visual fields

Moderate condition

The following would normally be characteristic of a child with a moderate condition.

• Visual acuity of equal to (=) or less than (<) 6/18 (20/60) but greater than (>) 6/36 (10/60)
• Moderately reduced visual fields

Severe condition

The following would normally be characteristic of a child with a severe condition.

• Visual acuity of equal to (=) or less than (<) 6/36 (10/60)
• Considerably reduced visual fields

Higher rate mobility

This applies to children who have been certified as severely visually impaired by a consultant Ophthalmologist AND their visual acuity is -:

• Less than (<) 3/60 ;or

• 3/60 or more but less than (<) 6/60 with a complete loss of peripheral visual field and a central visual field of no more than 10 degrees in total?

Note: The presence of eye movement disorders such as nystagmus (jerky eye movements) may change the disability from mild to moderate or indeed severe. Similarly, poorly functioning children with intense photophobia (sensitivity to light), cerebral visual impairment (due to damage to the brain) with perceptual deficits (reduced ability to recognise and interpret objects) may affect the level of disability independent of high contrast Snellen Visual Acuity.