What does 20/20 mean? | Ft. Lauderdale, FL

20/20 is a trademark term for optometrists that patients often have no clue what it means. Simply put, there’s a standardized eye chart called the Snellen Chart that optometrists use to gauge your visual acuity or how clear is your vision. 20/20 vision is that your able to see the chart clearly standing 20 feet away.

So, if your vision was poor, you might have 20/40 vision. This would mean you can see the larger letters standing 20 feet from the chart that others could read standing at 40 feet away! On the other hand, 20/15 vision means that you can see the smaller letters clearly at 20 feet away that others could only read standing at 15 feet away.

Since Americans measure using inches & feet, our optometrists say 20/20 vision. Other parts of the world use the metric system to measure, so other optometrists say 6/6 vision.

This method of measuring visual acuity or sharpness has been around since the Snellen chart was introduced in the 1950s.

For more information about your vision, contact our practice today or schedule your routine eye exam with our optometrist, today!