Presented in the form of 30 tables are statistics on blindness in 16 states which have agreed to uniform definitions and procedures to improve reliability of data regarding blind persons. The data indicates that rates of blindness were generally higher for nonwhites than for whites with the ratio ranging from almost 10 for glaucoma to minimal for…

Research is needed on the etiology, prevention and treatment of "blindisms" (stereotypic self-stimulatory behaviors characterized by withdrawal from the environment) which have been observed in some young blind children. (LH)

An analysis of the annual reports of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind from 1966 to 1975 and examination of numbers registered with the Commission from 1976 and 1977 revealed a 69 per cent increase in the registered population for these 12 years. (Author)

CURRENT ESTIMATES AND SOME TREND DATA ARE PRESENTED ON THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS -- POPULATION GROWTH (1940-1960), PREVALENCE OF LEGAL BLINDNESS, NEW CASES OF LEGAL BLINDNESS, AGE DISTRIBUTION OF LEGALLY BLIND PERSONS, CAUSES OF LEGAL BLINDNESS, CHANGING PATTERNS IN CAUSES OF LEGAL BLINDNESS, CASES OF GLAUCOMA, SCHOOL CHILDREN NEEDING EYE CARE,…

Presented is a historical report on the use of oxygen therapy with premature infants and the development of retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), a condition leading to detachment of the retina and arrest of growth of the eye. Covered are the following topics: the early history of oxygen use for premature infants (such as for prevention of cyanotic…

Epidemiological studies on birth defects and blindness that may be of research or practical value to blindness workers are surveyed. (Author)

Forty-three blind subjects, aged 17 to 45, were tested for perceptual thresholds of locomotion and received brief mobility training. Psychometric and psychological data obtained indicated that the subjects were above average in IQ (mean 115), emotionally stable, and relatively free from anxiety. Data on locomotion revealed the following: 91% of…

To investigate causes of blindness in childhood, 776 children (infancy to 20 years old) in special schools were seen in 1963. Examinations, parent questionnaires, and correspondence with health personnel were used to obtain etiological data. Causes of blindness mainly of genetic determination described are choroido-retinal degenerations,…

In the analysis of ability structure and loss of vision, 228 blind persons (153 male, 75 female) heterogenous in respect to chronological age, sex, degree of blindness, age at onset, and duration, were compared to sighted controls. A test battery was administered which included tests for verbal comprehension, mental arithmetic, spatial ability,…

Data elicited by two questionnaires on the characteristics (numbers, nature, extent, and location) of the multihandicapped population under 21 years of age in California are presented. Based on replies by 613 programs (47% response) and estimated to include 80 to 90% of the state's multihandicapped blind children, statistics concern…

RESEARCH STUDIES RELEVANT TO SOME ASPECT OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT ARE CONTAINED IN THE BULLETIN. D.M. BAUMANN AND OTHERS REPORT ON THE COLLAPSIBLE CAN, AND T.L. DEFAZIO AND T.B. SHERIDAN ANALYZE THE VIBRATIONS OF THE CANE. J.J. GIBSON CONSIDERS SENSITIVITY, AND J. MICKUNAS, JR., AND T.B. SHERIDAN DISCUSS THE OBSTACLE COURSE IN MOBILITY EVALUATION OF…

THE FOLLOWING REPORTS CONCERNING RESEARCH WITH THE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED ARE CONTAINED IN THIS BULLETIN--"SELECTED IMPAIRMENTS BY ETIOLOGY AND ACTIVITY LIMITATION, UNITED STATES, JULY 1959-JUNE 1961,""AN EXPERIMENT USING REVISED STIMULUS PRESENTATION" BY S. KARP, "EXPERIMENTS IN TACTUAL PERCEPTION" BY S. KARP, "A STUDY OF BRAILLE CODE REVISIONS" BY…