Blindness

Blindness, partial or complete loss of vision, caused by injury to the eyes, congenital defects, or diseases such as cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma, and hypertension. Infant blindness can result if the mother had rubella (German measles) early in pregnancy; malnutrition (especially vitamin A deficiency) may cause blindness in children. There are many ways for blind people to overcome their disability, including Braille (a method of reading with the fingers by touching raised dots), books on tape, and optical scanners generating speech. The use of a cane, guide dog, and sonar devices on glasses all contribute in assisting the blind. The first U.S. school for the blind was the Perkins School for the Blind (1832) in Boston.