DANGER WARNING! INJURIES OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED😱

The visually impaired people are exposed to severe injures.

2023. 2. 24.

BLIND PEOPLE FEELING HUNDREADS METER BELOW THE SURFACE😐

This week's newsletter addresses injuries that visually impaired individuals may face. Falls, burns, and even caries are this population's most frequent types of suffering. It is crucial to comprehend and prevent these injuries to guarantee the well-being of visually impaired individuals.

Today, I would like to present some research on injuries associated with visual impairment. You will learn the following:

1. The high risk of visually impaired people being injured unintentionally.

2. Rare but meaningful research on injuries of the visually impaired.

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Falls

Falls are a common issue. An erratic environmen can lead to falls, which can cause physical injuries, such as fractures and sprains, as well as psychological distress.

A review published in Injury Prevention revealed that the visually impaired experience falls 1.7 times more than the fully sighted group. Moreover, they suffered from a hip fracture at least 1.3 times and a maximum of 1.9 times more.

It is vital to address the underlying causes to prevent falls. It involves:

1) Improving the individual's balance and gait and modifying their environment, such as adding handrails, removing clutter, and improving lighting.

2) Educating the individual on fall prevention techniques, such as using a cane or guide dog, and developing strategies for navigating unfamiliar environments is also essential.

image credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Burns

Burns are a serious health concern for the visually impaired. Interaction with an scalding environment or a short moment of carelessness might create potential hazards. For examples:

Cooking accidents - touching a hot stove, spilling hot liquid, etc.
Household activities - Space heaters and curling irons are the most common objects to blame.

Individuals could use oven mitts or potholders when cooking and caution when handling hot liquids to prevent burns. Using appliances with automatic shut-offs or thermometers will be helpful. These precautions can reduce the risk of burns to a great extent.

However, no analytical studies were found that assessed the specific risks of burn injuries. Detailed data seem not to be collected by any organizations.

Oral Health

It might sound weird initially, as some researchers insist on the relationship between visual disability and the child's oral health. It revealed that the proportion of children with caries experience was higher than twice as much. The lack of manual-visual coordination of the blind child and the reduced concern for appearance are common factors causing poor oral health.

Dental care is the most frequently unmet health care need for children with special needs. Dental care is not supposed as a priority for the visually impaired group. Promoting the importance of oral health in schools and at home will help to improve the situation. Click here to see the full article.

A visually impaired child is getting dental care service. Child is wearing sunglasses。

image credit: enablingdevices.com

What We Need

Considering the three threats above, we must build accessible assistive technologies and systems—nothing but to prevent and circumvent life-threatening accidents.

However, the healthcare problem of the visually impaired is seldom publicized and discussed. There is no injury database or report about people with disability.

A boy learning braille using Taptilo with a male teacher, both are smiling brightly.

One Last Thing...

Braille can take part in the prevention process. We are convinced that braille is indispensable. Guidance in braille can help to ensure safety without others' advice and may play a signficant role in an emergent case, which in sound information cannot work out.

Taptilo is the world's first smart braille learning device. Taptilo uses 5-time enlarged braille cells, providing the most accessible environment for beginners to learn braille. Since 2015, Taptilo has helped students to learn and teachers to teach braille.

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