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How Eyewitnesses With Poor Eyesight Can Be Discredited

• Sep 20, 2023
• Latest Journal

When it comes to litigation, witnesses play a pivotal role in unravelling the mysteries of a case. However, evidence from witnesses is not always treated equally. Witness statements can be critiqued as biased towards what is favourable to the client. This questions the credibility of the evidence, and parties must take special care to ensure no conflict of interest.

Questioning the evidence's credibility goes beyond dissecting personal biases. In some cases, visual acuity or the lack thereof can discredit eyewitnesses entirely. This can be critical in scenarios where individuals are wrongly framed, as illustrated by the case of William Mills, who was identified as a robber by four people and consequently jailed. DNA evidence and an alternative suspect would prove his innocence only a year later in 2009.

Such scenarios highlight the need to establish the credibility of eyewitnesses thoroughly. Below, let's take a closer look at how vision issues can discredit a witness statement.

Stress and its impact on vision
Stress is an inherent part of legal proceedings, and it can take a toll on the cognitive functions of witnesses. Memory plays a vital role in eyewitness accounts, yet when stress levels skyrocket, this can lead to tunnel vision or memory impairment. This can affect the accuracy of what eyewitnesses perceive. Participants who reported higher state anxiety in a Horror Labyrinth experiment made fewer correct identifications and accurate descriptors of the person they encountered. For those already struggling with poor eyesight, stress can exacerbate their limitations, potentially leading to inconsistencies or inaccuracies in their testimony.

The particularities of prescription
Vision is more than the two simple categories of clear or blurry. To gauge the visual awareness, capabilities, or handicaps of eyewitnesses, one must comprehend their prescriptions thoroughly. When understanding a prescription, parties must examine the Spherical number (SPH) and Cylinder number (CYL) values. A weak prescription, indicated by low SPH and CYL values, may suggest a relatively mild visual impairment. On the other hand, a strong prescription with high SPH and CYL values may indicate more significant visual challenges. The PRISM and BASE can also inform of muscle imbalances in the eye. Failing to understand the significance of these prescriptions can result in misinterpretations of an eyewitness's account, undermining their credibility.

Familiarity and visual cues
Familiarity with a subject or environment can improve the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. However, familiarity's impact on identification is more than just dependent on prior exposure. A shift in lighting conditions between the initial viewing of a face and the identification process can similarly and detrimentally affect both familiar and unfamiliar faces, resulting in a notable decrease in accurate identification rates. Suppose an eyewitness has visual limitations, especially ones concerning astigmatism, light sensitivity, or optic neuritis. In that case, they may struggle to provide accurate descriptions even with a familiar face.

Inattentional blindness
Inattentional blindness, which is when individuals overlook unexpected events when their attention is focused elsewhere, is a significant consideration in eyewitness testimony. Experiments have shown that only 16.7% of participants can correctly identify a culprit when distracted. Poor eyesight can compound inattentional blindness, making eyewitnesses even less likely to notice crucial details or events unrelated to their visual focus. This limited field of vision can result in essential aspects of a case going unnoticed, further diminishing the credibility of the testimony.

To address these challenges it's crucial to work around these limitations. Expert Witness provides a valuable resource by connecting legal professionals with a pool of expert witnesses who can offer their insights and assessments to strengthen the integrity of the legal system. By acknowledging the complexities of eyewitness testimony and leveraging the expertise of professionals, we can navigate the intricacies of justice more effectively and ensure that the truth prevails.

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