Having your vision checked regularly allows your eye doctor to identify any changes in your vision, detect any issues, and design a treatment plan. One way to check your vision is by using an eye chart that tests the sharpness of your vision, with the goal being a 20/20 result. Learn more about what 20/20 vision is, how you can achieve it, and how it is tested before your next trip to the eye doctor.

How Vision Is Tested

When you visit the eye doctor, your visual acuity, or visual sharpness, is measured using the Snellen eye chart. This simple test requires you to read letters of varying sizes off of the chart while standing 20 feet away. In smaller exam rooms without 20 feet of space, you will read the chart off of a mirror, thereby simulating a distance of 20 feet, to ensure accurate results. These results will indicate how sharp your vision is and whether you could benefit from wearing glasses or contacts. 

20/20 Vision Defined

If your results indicate 20/20 vision, you have healthy vision. It means that after reading the eye chart from a distance of 20 feet, you could see the same number of letters that a person with normal vision could. The first number represents how far you stood from the chart so that it will be 20 for all patients. The second number represents the distance from which a person with regular, or 20/20, vision could read the same letters that you did. For instance, a person with 20/40 vision could only read the messages that people with normal eyesight could read from 40 feet. 20/20 vision is the standard, and optometrists strive to help every patient see with 20/20 vision, often with the help of glasses or contact lenses.

To get your vision tested and ensure you see with 20/20 vision with or without assistance, visit Wise Vision Care, which has served the Elizabethtown, Kentucky area since 1995. You will work with caring and compassionate eye care professionals who rely on state-of-the-art equipment and technology to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions. Call (270) 769-3708 to schedule your appointment, or learn more about available vision care services on the website.