7 Areas of Visual Skills

Summary of functional assessment procedure

These 19 activities are divided into 7 sections. They are suggestions to test functional vision

Items	Ideas to Assess Skills
1. Awareness and attention to details
a. Attention	not needed if VA testing is done use bright object, size of hand
b. Reach	up to 1 metre use small stones, paper balls from big to small centre, left, right...
2. Control of eye movements- tracking
a. Maintain gaze	small objects for rolling- to 4 metres different contrast
b. Track an object	distance 1 metre use bright objects up and down, side to side, diagonal and near to far
3. Control of eye movements- scanning
a. Shift gaze	distance 1 metre 1 object in each hand horizontal, vertical
b. Change fixation	distance 3 metres tester bright object client small object near, far, near
4. Discrimination of objects
a. Find object	distance 4-5 metres familiar, different contrast objects, e.g. kettle
b. follow path	route over path with borders and winding
c. Avoid objects	route with ground obstacles, puddles, branches
d. Identify near and distant objects	near, 1 metre- coin, pencil, knife, spoon, stone distance- activities, scene
5. Discrimination of details to identify actions and match objects
a. Imitation of body gestures and actions	distance 5 metres gross movements
b. Facial expressions	distance 2 metres
c. Match size	use coins, or leaves or buttons
6. Discrimination of details in pictures
a. Recognise actions
b. Find objects in a complicated picture
7. Identification and perception of patterns, numbers and words
a. Match abstract figures
b. Match numbers
c. Match shapes with inner details
d. Match words and pictures
Adapted from "Assessment of Low Vision in Developing Countries" in the Low Vision Kit

Record the actual response, not what the person says they can do or you think they can do

Make notes on:

• the objects used for the assessment
• how easy or difficult the work was
• the person's comments
• behaviour during the assessment
• distance for each item
• the time taken to finish the activity, for example, 'quick', 'needed a long time', 'slow to respond' or 'scanning slow and random'
• if low vision devices were available and used

Here is an example of a form that can be completed to assess a child

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Checkpoint:

Which is more important for orientation and mobility; seeing details or scanning?

Which is more important for orientation and mobility contrast sensitivity or colour vision?