Eye care professionals use numbers and letters on a chart at a certain distance to measure visual acuity, usually the Snellen eye chart. Most people have had to read letters from one at some point in their lives, whether in the ophthalmologist's office, in the pediatrician's or school nurse's office, or even on the DMV digital eye chart. The most common eye charts used in the United States today are called Snellen charts, named after Hermann Snellen, a Dutch ophthalmologist from the 19th century. This means that the smallest line of the eye chart that can be read at 20 feet can be seen by someone with perfect vision who is 100 feet away. To better understand your visual acuity and how to manage your visual needs, it is important to talk to your ophthalmologist and schedule a full eye exam.
The second part of the blindness designation is based on your field of vision, which implies how well you can see sideways without moving your eyes. Visual acuity is based on how well you can see with your best eye and with standard corrective lenses, such as prescription glasses or contact lenses. The next time you look at an eye chart, you'll notice that it doesn't contain all the letters of the alphabet. The line on an eye chart that corresponds to 20/100 vision is the fifth line from the top. This means that a person with 20/100 vision can see at 20 feet what someone with normal vision can see at 100 feet.
If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you need to be 20 feet away from an object to see it as clearly as someone with normal vision would at 100 feet. Having 20/100 vision does not necessarily mean that you are legally blind. It simply means that your vision is worse than average. However, if your vision is worse than 20/200 in your better eye, then you are considered legally blind. If you have 20/100 vision in one eye and 20/200 in the other, then you are also considered legally blind. If you have been diagnosed with 20/100 vision, there are several options available to help improve your sight.
Depending on the cause of your vision loss, corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses may be prescribed. Additionally, surgery may be recommended if the cause of your vision loss is due to a physical condition such as cataracts or glaucoma. It is important to remember that having 20/100 vision does not mean that you cannot lead a normal life. With proper treatment and management of your condition, you can still enjoy activities such as reading, driving, and participating in sports.
