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Glite Dictionary
legal blindness

legal blindness

1 4.0
Very poor sight that the law measures as 20/200 vision or a very small field of view
  • noun
  • /ˈliːɡəl ˈblaɪndnəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ceguera legal
  • From the membership list of the RRTC National Consumer Feedback Network, a group of approximately 1,500 adults with legal blindness, we invited a subset of 497 people, identified as large print users, to participate in the survey.

But that's not what legal blindness really means.

Examples

  • Many people with legal blindness qualify for assistance programs that help them with daily living activities.

  • To estimate the prevalence rate of legal blindness, adults aged 40 and over in a local area were examined.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The requirement of legal blindness by many state and private programs may change in compliance with Medicare and may become a less significant barrier as more services develop outside these programs.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Not only did legal blindness give them access to the blindness pension and half-priced public transportation, it provided them with the affirmation they needed.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Each child met the following definition of legal blindness: an acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with best correction or a field of vision of 20 degrees or less in the better eye.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The most common outcome of ARMD is legal blindness and vision impairment in older Americans (National Institute of Health NIH, 2002).

    Academic text (2008)

  • Her legal blindness was determined after a series of tests that measured her visual acuity.

  • The educational resources available for students with legal blindness have improved significantly in recent years.

Synonyms

blindness
vslegal blindness
70 3.1

A condition in which a person cannot see because of injury, disease, or being born that way

refers to a legal cutoff rather than total loss in all cases
visual impairment
vslegal blindness
1 4.1

A condition where a person can see poorly or not at all

is defined by law with a strict vision threshold or very narrow field
sightlessness
vslegal blindness
7.9

Not being able to see

is a law-based definition focusing on specific vision limits
visual disorder
vslegal blindness
  • Specialized
5.0

A problem with the eyes that makes it hard to see clearly

is a legal category with precise measurement thresholds
visual defect
vslegal blindness
  • Specialized
4.3

A problem in the eyes that makes it hard to see

is determined by statute using exact acuity or field criteria
vision defect
vslegal blindness
  • Specialized
4.7

A problem with your sight that makes things look unclear

is a legal measurement implying severe reduction not any minor defect

Surface Forms

legal blindness singular
legal blindesses plural
legal blindesses plural
legal blindess singular

Morphology

legal + blindness

The meaning is directly built from 'legal' (pertaining to law) + 'blindness' (loss of sight) and thus denotes a form of blindness defined or recognized by law; a B1 learner who knows both words can infer this general sense. They may not know the specific legal thresholds (e.g., 20/200), but the compositional pattern and common cross‑linguistic equivalents make the expression immediately understandable.

Etymology

Legal blindness puts together legal (meaning 'by law') and blindness (very poor sight) to make a simple, official rule. The phrase shows that a person's vision meets the law's limit so they are 'officially blind' and can get help or benefits.