visual loss

Last reviewed 07/2021

Blindness is defined as the lack or loss of ability to see. A person is registered as blind if they have a corrected acuity of < 3/60 in the better eye.

Types of blindness include:

  • rapid onset, with bilateral loss of sight
  • gradual onset, with bilateral loss of sight
  • rapid onset, with unilateral loss of sight
  • gradual onset, with unilateral loss of site

Any patient with sudden painless loss of vision requires specialist review unless the cause of visual loss is unequivocally migraine.