Get money for being legally blind?!

The government will not pay you anything for blindness. You'll have better luck getting a loan then a job to pay it off.
Even if they did i'm pretty sure you would have to be 100% permanently blind those people can not support them selves at all were as you have some vision, get an easy job with little risk.

No, you can't claim money as you are not legally blind. To be legally blind your vision has to be 20/200 or less in the better eye or a field of vision less then 20 degree in the better eye with best corrected vision. If glasses, contacts or surgery can improve your vision you are not legally blind.
Plus if a person was legally blind they wouldn't worry about driving for safety reasons, legally blind people are not allowed to drive at all.

You are talking about SSI (Supplemental Security Income) which is a government stipend paid to disabled children and adults who are generally at or under the poverty level. As a minor, you would not be entitled to SSI benefits if you are living at home and your parents can afford to support you. If you are living a group home, they may already be collecting a government stipend to help pay for your support. Sorry, you would not be entitled to those checks. In addition, once you have reached adulthood and your parents are no longer responsible for you, you would only be considered legally blind and eligible for SSI if your corrected vision in both eyes still left you legally blind. In other words, if you are not legally blind when you wear contacts lenses or glasses then you would not be considered legally blind for the purposes of collecting SSI. The fact that you are thinking of having what sounds like Laser Vision Corrective Surgery (LASIK) is a pretty good indication that you are not legally blind. Those that are legally blind would generally not be considered good candidates for LASIK surgery because of the high correction needed and/or eye disease causing the blindness. In addition, you should not have Lasik until your vision has stabilized for at least two years, normally in your mid-twenties. Sorry, but if you can see with corrective lenses, you just ought to finish school, then get a job and save your money for the surgery, which by the way, does have risks and side effects which can be sight threatening.

Your 19 friend may have really been legally blind and his eye condition could not be corrected with glasses.

State disability compensation may also be paid to one who has a disability, but you would have had to work for the necessary quarters to collect that and the legally blind rule of corrected vision would still apply.

http://www.ssa.gov/ssi/