blindness

blindness
1. Loss of the sense of sight; absolute b. connotes no light perception. SEE ALSO: amblyopia, amaurosis. 2. Loss of visual appreciation of objects although visual acuity is normal. 3. Absence of the appreciation of sensation, e.g., taste b.. SYN: typhlosis.
- change b. failure to observe large changes in the vision field that occur simultaneously with brief disturbances.
- color b. misleading term for anomalous or deficient color vision; complete color b. is the absence of one of the primary cone pigments of the retina. See protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia.
- cortical b. loss of sight due to an organic lesion in the visual cortex.
- day b. SYN: hemeralopia.
- eclipse b. SYN: solar maculopathy.
- flash b. a temporary loss of vision produced when retinal light-sensitive pigments are bleached by light more intense than that to which the retina is physiologically adapted at that moment.
- flight b. visual blackout in aviators. SEE ALSO: amaurosis fugax.
- functional b. apparent loss of vision related to suggestibility.
- hysterical b. loss of vision or blurring of vision following a psychologically traumatic event such as seeing one's child being killed in an accident.
- legal b. generally, visual acuity of less than 6/60 or 20/200 using Snellen test types, or visual field restriction to 20° or less in the better eye; the criteria used to define legal b. vary among different groups.
- letter b. visual agnosia for letters, in which letters are seen but not identified; caused by a lesion in the occipital cortex.
- mind b. visual agnosia for objects, in which objects are seen but not identified; caused by a lesion in area 18 of the occipital cortex. SYN: object b., psychanopsia, psychic b..
- music b. SYN: musical alexia.
- night b. SYN: nyctalopia.
- note b. SYN: musical alexia.
- object b. SYN: mind b..
- psychic b. SYN: mind b..
- river b. SYN: ocular onchocerciasis.
- sight b. SYN: asymbolia.
- sign b. visual agnosia for signs.
- solar b. SYN: solar maculopathy.
- taste b. inability to appreciate gustatory stimuli.
- text b., word b. SYN: alexia.

* * *

n.
the inability to see. Lack of all light perception constitutes total blindness but there are degrees of visual impairment far less severe than this that may be classed as blindness for administrative or statutory purposes. For example, marked reduction in the visual field is classified as blindness, even if objects are still seen sharply. The commonest causes of blindness worldwide are trachoma, onchocerciasis, and vitamin A deficiency (see night blindness) but there is wide geographic variation. In Great Britain the commonest causes are age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract, myopic retinal degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.

* * *

blind·ness (blīndґnis) lack or loss of ability to see; lack of perception of visual stimuli, due to disorder of the organs of sight or to lesions in certain areas of the brain; see also amaurosis.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Blindness — Título Blindness Ficha técnica Dirección Fernando Meirelles Dirección artística Joshu de Cartier Producción …   Wikipedia Español

  • Blindness — Blind ness, n. State or condition of being blind, literally or figuratively. Darwin. [1913 Webster] {Color blindness}, inability to distinguish certain color. See {Daltonism}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • blindness — index ignorance, nescience Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • blindness — O.E. blindnysse, blendes, from BLIND (Cf. blind) + NESS (Cf. ness). Figurative sense was in O.E …   Etymology dictionary

  • blindness — [n] sightlessness amaurosis, anopsia, astigmatism, cataracts, darkness, defect, myopia, presbyopia, purblindness, typhlosis; concept 629 Ant. sight, sightedness …   New thesaurus

  • Blindness — This article is about the visual condition. For other uses, see Blindness (disambiguation). Blindness Classification and external resources A white cane, the international symbol of blindness ICD …   Wikipedia

  • BLINDNESS — The standard Hebrew term for a blind person is (Heb. עִוֵּר) (ʿivver; Ex. 4:11; et al.), a noun in the form used for bodily defects. The abstract form is עִוָּרוֹן (ʿivvaron, blindness ; Deut. 28:28; Zech. 12:4). The word סַנְוֵרִים (sanverim;… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • blindness — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Lack of sight Nouns 1. blindness, sightlessness, anopsia, cecity; total or legal blindness, binocular deprivation; blind spot; amaurosis; cataract; dimsightedness (See vision); benightedness; night or… …   English dictionary for students

  • blindness — See blindingly. * * * Inability to see with one or both eyes. Transient blindness (blackout) can result from vertical acceleration causing high gravitational forces, glomerulonephritis (a kidney disease), or a clot in a blood vessel of the eye.… …   Universalium

  • Blindness — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Die Stadt der Blinden Originaltitel: Blindness Produktionsland: Brasilien, Kanada, Japan Erscheinungsjahr: 2008 Länge: 121 Minuten Originalsprache …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Blindness — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Blindness >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 blindness blindness cecity excecation| amaurosis cataract ablepsy| prestriction| Sgm: N 1 dim sightedness dim sightedness &c. 443 Sgm: N 1 ablepsia ablepsia …   English dictionary for students

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”