Eye chart b/g

Eye charts can be accessed in several different formats, but as a general category are a common way for measuring an individual’s degree of visual acuity and thus determining the necessity of further testing or treatment. A basic eye chart will be covered in symbols, or optotypes, which the patient must read or otherwise interpret from a specified distance. Optotypes are frequently letters, though eye charts are also made for illiterate patients.

Eye chart test

While taking part in an eye chart test, a patient will be directed to stand at a certain distance away from the eye test chart. He or she will cover one eye with a hand and look at the chart with the other, reading the content of each line on the chart, as will generally consist of letters, arrayed in rows placed in descending order of size, to simulate distance.

Iridology eye chart

People interested in eye charts as medical options should not confuse these with the alternative medicinal technique of using an iridology eye chart. This practice, which is not medically supported in any way, refers to the idea that the appearance of different areas, or “zones,” of the iris reflect on the state of health in different sections of the body, and that an iridology chart can therefore indicate the overall health of an individual.

Snellen chart

The eye charts used for medical purposes in the modern world are most frequently created according to the model of the Snellen eye chart, which has the distinctive appearance of posters commonly appearing in general practitioners’ offices and elsewhere. In this regard, the Snellen eye chart can be identified as having 11 rows of letters, or optotypes, which are placed in descending order of size, and printed in the block format.

Visual acuity test

Eye charts, most often according to the model of the Snellen chart, are designed to allow for a visual acuity test to be carried out. In this way, it can be determined how nearly a patient comes to the standard of having 20/20 vision. This procedure can thus avoid the use of more difficult and costly kinds of equipment for the purposes of regular examinations, and can be found in both medical offices and non-medical settings.