[Expert assessment of blindness].

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Law

Background:

• Determining blindness is typically a secondary aspect of medical treatment, requested by visually impaired patients.
• Current medical practice often relies on routine consultations, which are insufficient for formal blindness determination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the stringent standards required for the medical determination of legal blindness.
• To emphasize the necessity of expert examinations over routine consultations for proving blindness.

Main Methods:

• The study highlights the importance of specific diagnostic tools and conditions.
• Key methods include visual acuity testing (DIN 58220) and manual kinetic perimetry (e.g., Goldmann perimeter).

Main Results:

• Proving blindness necessitates examinations under expert conditions, not solely from routine doctor-patient interactions.
• Functional deficits must be morphologically explainable and objectively verifiable.

Conclusions:

• Stringent standards are essential for blindness determination due to potential high costs and social law implications.
• Blindness must be established with near certainty through objective, expert-evaluated evidence.