Question

On a visual acuity reading of 20/60, what does the 20 represent?

a) The distance the patient stands from the chart
b) The size of the letters the patient can read
c) The distance at which a person with normal vision can read the chart
d) The size of the letters the patient should be able to read

Answer 1

In a visual acuity reading of 20/60, the number 20 represents the distance in feet at which the patient stands from the Snellen chart.

Step-by-step explanation:

The number 20 in a visual acuity reading of 20/60 represents the distance in feet at which the patient stands from the chart.

Visual acuity readings, like 20/60, use the Snellen chart to measure how well a person can see. The first number, which is 20 in the 20/60 example, indicates the distance in feet between the patient and the chart. The second number indicates the distance at which a person with normal vision would be able to read the same line of text that the patient can read at 20 feet.

Thus, a person with 20/60 vision can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can see at 60 feet. In contrast, 20/20 vision is considered normal visual acuity, meaning that the patient can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision would also see at 20 feet.