A vision impairment refers to when you lose part or all of your ability to see (or vision). The impairment must persist even with the use of eyeglasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery.

he way in which vision impairments are classified differs across countries. The World Health Organization (the WHO) classifies visual impairment based on two factors: the visual acuity, or the clarity of vision, and the visual fields, which is the area from which you are able to perceive visual information, while your eyes are in a stationary position and you are looking straight at an object.

Visual acuity is calculated using two numbers. The first number is the distance between the person reading the chart and the chart. The second number is the distance that a person with normal vision would have to stand from an object to see what you did at 20 feet. For example, a visual acuity of 20/80 means that you can read the chart from 20 feet away as well as a person who could read the chart from 80 feet away. In other words, what a person with normal vision would see from 80 feet away, you can't see until you move closer to only 20 feet away.

Vision Impairment Causes

The causes of vision impairment include:

• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Trachoma
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Amblyopia, or the lack of use of an eye in childhood
• Eye injuries, such as accidentally being poked in the eye at work
• Inherited conditions, such as retinitis pigmentosa
• Infections such as German measles and chlamydia that can be transmitted from the mother to a fetus during pregnancy
• Age-related macular degeneration  and many more.

I as a special education educator was given a chance to represent my school (LAUTOKA SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION) to attend a workshop on how to fix braille machines. This was a great course as I got a chance to meet and discuss issues relating to special education and especially children with vision impairment.

Now as I know how to fix braille machines I will try my best to help children with special needs and keep spreading peace. As a scout leader I am also trying my level best to include all the children with special needs in scouting, this will indeed be a great achievement!

As volunteers we should always consider children with special needs  and make them feel included.