Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
70 results found in low vision.
- Optic Neuropathy (Optic Nerve Disease)
- Damage to the optic nerve that can result in vision loss, including reduced visual acuity, impaired color vision, and visual field defects. Optic neuropathy can be caused by various conditions includi…
- Optic atrophy (Optic nerve atrophy)
- A condition involving damage to the optic nerve that results in partial or complete loss of vision. The optic nerve carries visual information from the eye to the brain, and when its fibers degenerate…
- Panning (Screen Panning, Viewport Panning)
- The act of moving the visible area of a screen magnifier or viewport across a webpage or application to view content that extends beyond the currently displayed portion. For screen-magnifier users, pa…
- Peripheral Vision (Side Vision)
- Vision that occurs outside the center of gaze, encompassing the ability to see objects and movement to the sides, above, and below the point of fixation. Peripheral vision is important for spatial awa…
- Preferred Retinal Locus (PRL, Preferred Retinal Location)
- A specific area of the retina outside the damaged macula that a person with central vision loss adopts as their primary fixation point for viewing. When the central fovea is damaged (as in macular deg…
- RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People, Royal National Institute for the Blind)
- The largest charity supporting blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom, providing services including accessible format transcription, assistive technology advice, employment support, …
- Residual Vision (Remaining Vision, Useful Vision)
- The vision that remains after an eye condition has caused partial vision loss. Most people classified as having low vision retain some useful residual vision and prefer to use it for observing and int…
- Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)
- A group of inherited genetic disorders that cause progressive degeneration of the retina, typically beginning with loss of night vision and peripheral vision and potentially leading to tunnel vision o…
- Retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
- A group of inherited genetic disorders that cause progressive degeneration of the retina, typically beginning with loss of night vision and peripheral vision and gradually narrowing the visual field (…
- Saccade (Saccadic Eye Movement)
- A rapid, ballistic eye movement that shifts the point of fixation from one location to another. Saccades are essential for visual search, reading, and scanning the environment. In low-vision rehabilit…
- Scotoma (Blind Spot, Visual Field Defect)
- An area of partial or complete loss of vision within the visual field, surrounded by areas of relatively normal or less affected vision. Scotomas can result from conditions such as macular degeneratio…
- Scotoma (Blind Spot, Visual Field Defect)
- An area of partial or complete loss of vision within an otherwise normal visual field. Scotomas can be central (affecting the area of sharpest vision) or peripheral, and may be caused by conditions su…
- Screen Magnification (Screen Magnifier, Zoom)
- Software or built-in operating system features that enlarge a portion of the screen display to make content more readable for people with low vision. Screen magnification tools are available on all ma…
- Screen Magnification (Screen Magnifier, Display Magnification)
- Software or operating system features that enlarge a portion of the screen content to make it readable for people with low vision. Common modalities include full-screen magnification (which expands th…
- Screen Magnifier (Screen Magnification Software, Magnification Software)
- An assistive technology application that enlarges a portion of the screen display to make content more readable for people with low vision. Screen magnifiers work by rendering a zoomed-in view of the …
- Space compaction (Horizontal compaction, White space reduction)
- An accessibility technique used in screen magnification software and browser extensions that reduces excessive white space and adjusts column widths to minimize horizontal scrolling. For low-vision us…
- Stargardt Disease (Stargardt Macular Dystrophy, Juvenile Macular Degeneration)
- An inherited eye disease that causes progressive damage to the macula, leading to central vision loss typically beginning in childhood or adolescence. Stargardt disease is the most common form of inhe…
- Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI, Vision Teacher, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments)
- A specialized educator trained to work with students who are blind or have low vision, providing instruction in skills such as Braille, use of assistive technology, orientation and mobility, and adapt…
- Telescopic Magnifier (Bioptic Telescope, Telescopic Glasses)
- A small telescope mounted in or attached to eyeglasses that provides magnification for viewing distant or intermediate-distance objects. Telescopic magnifiers are used by people with low vision for ta…
- Tiresias (Tiresias Screenfont, Tiresias Font Family)
- A family of typefaces developed in 1998 by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) specifically designed for legibility on screen displays, particularly television subtitling. Named after …