Visual Disability Certificate Calculator (India, RPwD Act)
Last updated: October 2026
A quick calculator for the percentage of visual impairment used for disability certificates in India (RPwD Act 2016), based on the matrix in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities guidelines, with a printable summary of the inputs.
Check before certifying: this matrix is from the DEPwD guidelines notified on 4 January 2018, as shown on the UDID portal. The assessment guidelines were re-notified on 12 March 2024 (S.O. 1338(E)). Confirm the current table in the gazette or with your certifying board, and always use best-corrected acuity after full refraction.
The matrix
| Better eye | Worse eye | Impairment | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/6 to 6/18 | 6/6 to 6/18 | 0% | 0 |
| 6/6 to 6/18 | 6/24 to 6/60 | 10% | 0 |
| 6/6 to 6/18 | Less than 6/60 to 3/60 | 20% | I |
| 6/6 to 6/18 | Less than 3/60 to NPL | 30% | II (one-eyed person) |
| 6/24 to 6/60, or field less than 40° up to 20°, or hemianopia involving the macula | 6/24 to 6/60 | 40% | III a (low vision) |
| (as above) | Less than 6/60 to 3/60 | 50% | III b (low vision) |
| (as above) | Less than 3/60 to NPL | 60% | III c (low vision) |
| Less than 6/60 to 3/60, or field less than 20° up to 10° | Less than 6/60 to 3/60 | 70% | III d (low vision) |
| (as above) | Less than 3/60 to NPL | 80% | III e (low vision) |
| Less than 3/60 to 1/60, or field less than 10° | Less than 3/60 to NPL | 90% | IV a (blindness) |
| Only HMCF, PL or NPL | Only HMCF, PL or NPL | 100% | IV b (blindness) |
- A certificate for benchmark disability needs 40% or more.
- Under the RPwD Act 2016, blindness is best-corrected acuity below 3/60 (10/200) in the better eye or a field of less than 10°; low vision is acuity below 6/18 up to 3/60 in the better eye, or a field of less than 40° up to 10°.
- For a one-eyed person (worse eye below 3/60 with a better eye of 6/18 or better), the guidelines do not use the field of the better eye.
- Fields are tested with standardised perimetry; boards differ in whether they consider fields when acuity is 6/18 or better, so follow your board's practice.
Related: acuity conversion, levels of visual impairment (for patients), low vision aids.
Key sources
- Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. Guidelines for the purpose of assessing the extent of specified disability. Gazette notification, 4 January 2018
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Revised assessment guidelines, S.O. 1338(E), 12 March 2024
- The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (Schedule: blindness and low vision definitions)
- Visual disability profile of UDID applicants (table of categories), IP Int J Ocul Oncol Oculoplasty
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