Q: What does it mean to be legally blind?
A: The most understandable definition of the term legally blind is a person who’s vision acuity is 20/200 or worse with glasses.* This does not mean that the person in question cannot see anything at all. There’s a whole spectrum of possibilities in this demographic. Many legally blind people have some vision. Some don’t have any at all, and some others may only be able to see in the day time. There’s a whole range of factors that can determine where a person falls on the scale. You wouldn’t be able to lump all of us into the same bucket. I admit that was not the best metaphor, but it was what I could come up with at the time.
Bonus Question
Q: Do you get offended if people call you blind when you still have some sight.
A: If I got offended by every little thing like that, I would have absolutely no life.
Go ahead and call me blind, legally blind, visually impaired, whatever you want. Technically they are all true. Now, to be fair, this is just my opinion. Your visually impaired friends may have an issue with one term or another. Your best bet there is to listen to the way they describe their vision and use whatever term they pick. Then you can’t go wrong.
Helpful sources:
*https://essilorusa.com/newsroom/what-does-it-mean-to-be-legally-blind