An Act establishing a low vision registry

This bill creates a new registry in Massachusetts to track individuals with low vision, defined as having visual acuity of 20/60 or worse or a peripheral field of vision of ten degrees or less. The Commissioner of the Registry of the Blind, working with the Department of Public Health and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, would maintain this list to help predict future demand for services. While these individuals are recorded in the new registry, they would not currently qualify for services from the Commission until they meet the legal blindness standard. The bill also requires that existing reporting rules for blind registrants apply to this new low vision list.