Visual impairments typically are caused by disease, trauma, and congenital or degenerative conditions. Other refractive errors that affect vision but are not diseases or disabilities are farsightedness and astigmatism.

Is astigmatism a visual disability?

Astigmatism: A common form of visual impairment in which part of an image is blurred due to an irregularity in the dome-shaped curvature of the front surface of the eye, the cornea. With astigmatism, light rays entering the eye are not uniformly focused on the retina. The result is blurred vision at all distances.

What eye problems qualify for disability?

You may qualify for Social Security benefits or SSI payments if you're blind. We consider you to be blind if your vision can't be corrected to better than 20/200 in your better eye or if your visual field is 20 degrees or less in your better eye for a period that lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months.