The disability table by visual acuity

The basis for determining disability percentages for impaired visual capacity is “the table”: a two-dimensional grid in which the best-corrected visual acuity of each eye is cross-referenced, and the intersection sets the percentage. The table below is the National Insurance table (Item 52 of the impairment schedule). To read it, find one eye’s visual acuity in the rows and the other eye’s in the columns; the shared cell is the disability percentage. The table is symmetric — the order of the eyes does not matter.

The outlined cells are the case where both eyes have the same acuity. Visual acuity is always measured after full optical correction. The groups 6/15–6/18, 6/21–6/24 and 6/30–6/36 are treated as a single value in the table. NLP = no light perception.

Blindness or severe impairment in one eye when the other is healthy

When one eye sees normally (6/6) and the other is impaired, the percentage is taken from the 6/6 row of the table: acuity of 3/60 gives 25%, and 1/60 or worse — down to no light perception — gives 30%. After enucleation or phthisis of the eye, a further 5% is added arithmetically, beyond the table percentage.

Impairments beyond the table

Alongside visual acuity, the schedule contains separate items — restriction of the visual field, findings of the lens, pupil and retina, and more — which are combined by weighting with the percentage set by the table. As for cataract: under the National Insurance schedule it carries no independent percentage, and disability follows the loss of visual acuity actually caused; under the Ministry of Defense schedule cataract carries 5% in one eye and 10% in both, in addition to the visual impairment. Dry eye likewise has no independent item — see the dry eye page.

Frequently asked questions

How many disability percent does blindness in one eye give?

When the other eye is healthy: acuity of 3/60 gives 25%, and 1/60 or less (down to no light perception) gives 30%. After enucleation of the eye a further 5% is added.

Does the calculator determine my disability percentage?

No. Disability percentages are set solely by an authorised medical board (or a court-appointed expert) after examination. The calculator gives a preliminary estimate only, for orientation and preparation.

My vision is good with glasses but poor without them — which counts?

The determining visual acuity is measured after full optical correction. An impairment fully corrected by glasses does not confer disability percentages under the table.

I have several problems in the same eye — do the percentages add up without limit?

No. The impairments are combined by weighting, and the total disability for one eye is capped at the percentage that would have been set had that eye been completely blind. Explicit exceptions, such as the addition for enucleation, are preserved beyond the cap.

Does cataract confer disability percentages?

Under National Insurance — not as an independent item; disability follows the loss of visual capacity actually caused. Under the Ministry of Defense, cataract confers 5% in one eye and 10% in both, in addition to the visual impairment.

What is the difference between medical disability and the degree of earning incapacity?

Medical disability reflects the bodily impairment alone. In general disability a separate degree of earning incapacity is also determined — the extent of the impact on the ability to earn — and it is what determines pension entitlement.