What exactly is 20/20 vision?

Ah, the year 2020! Optometrists have been waiting for it for so long – it’s the year for all those corny 20/20 vision jokes and puns……..

 But what exactly is 20/20 vision?

20/20 vision refers to someone’s visual acuity (the clarity and sharpness of their vision) when reading letters on an optometrist’s standard eye chart, measured at a distance of 20 feet. The imperial (feet) measurement of 20/20 is still the international gold standard terminology used to describe visual acuity. However in Australia, with our metric measurement system, we call it 6/6, with 6 metres being roughly equivalent to 20 feet.

Let’s use an Aussie $1 coin to illustrate: Basically, from the 20 feet distance, if you can read letters on a line on a letter chart that are about half the size of a $1 coin, you have 20/20 vision. If you can only read letters that are the size of a $1 coin, you have 20/40 vision. Conversely, if you can read letters that are less than half the size of a $1 coin, then you have better than 20/20 vision – perhaps 20/15 or even 20/10.

Does 20/20 vision mean you have perfect vision?

 Whilst 20/20 vision signifies that a person has excellent vision, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have perfect vision.Other factors in the vision mix such as eye health, peripheral vision, depth perception and eye muscle coordination impact on your quality of vision and are assessed as part of our comprehensive eye examination at Outlook Eye Centre. We assess your vision with the aim of getting the best possible visual acuity for you, because for many people it is possible to achieve 20/20 or better with prescription glasses or contact lenses.

A final word…….don’t have 20/20 hindsight  – a comprehensive eye test with us will have you seeing a fabulous year ahead in 2020 and beyond.