I. Blindness is a disorder of the eyes and the visual centers of the brain, resulting in poor to no vision. This disability affects an estimated 10 million people in the US alone. Although many people believe the blind see nothing but darkness, most of the blind population report seeing light and movement but no shape or color. This is what they are able to see with their eyes, however many are also able to with their “mind’s eye”. Utilizing other senses and technology such as cortical implants, the blind population is able to create images in their “mind’s eye”.
II. The main causes of blindness and visual impairments.
A. The main cause of irreversible blindness is glaucoma.
1. A serious eye disease that is caused by increased pressure in
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An example of regaining vision is removing a cataract.
IV. Ways that the blind are able to see with other senses.
A. Touch smell and hearing are senses that many blind individuals can use to help navigate.
B. One way the blind population can see is with echolocation.
1. When a blind person uses echolocation, many make a clicking sound with their tongue and listen for it to echo off different objects.
a. Know were the objects are, they are able to make a detailed map of the room.
b. Echolocation allows the user to do hobbies such as biking.
2. The area of the brain active during echolocation is the area usually associated with vision,
3. An account from a blind person that uses echolocation is that he is easily able to picture the item in the room he is in except they have no color.
C. Using their sense of touch, the blind is able to create a mental image of what they think an object looks like.
1. This can be used to help distinguish items such as clothes, bottles and caned food.
D. Some blind individuals have other heightened senses.
1. The area of the brain that is associated with sight in blind people responds strongly to touch and hearing. This is known as cross-modal plasticity.
V. Many blind individuals use adaptive technology to help perceive the