💡Vision Basics: The 20/20 Vision, Eye Health, and Eye Care Tips
👀 📌 Sense of sight or vision is probably the most important of the five primary senses for human beings. However, this gift is often taken for granted which leads to complications and damage to the nerves in the eyes, and without proper care, one may even lose their ability to see for the rest of their lives.
We often hear about “20/20 Vision” but what does it really mean? How about visual acuity, eyesight, and vision?
🔭 Visual acuity, eyesight and vision: What's the difference?
🗒️ Visual acuity is the sharpness of your vision. Visual acuity is measured by your ability to identify letters or numbers on a standardized eye chart from a specific viewing distance.
🗒️ Eyesight. Depending on which dictionary or other resource you check, it can mean "ability to see," "the sense of seeing," "vision," "range of sight" or "view."
🗒️ Vision. This is a broader term than visual acuity or eyesight. In addition to sharpness of sight or simply a description of the ability to see, the term "vision" usually includes a wider range of visual abilities and skills. These include contrast sensibility, the ability to track moving objects with smooth and accurate eye movements, color vision, depth perception, focusing speed and accuracy, and more.
🔭 Visual Acuity: What is 20/20 vision?
☑️ 20/20 vision is normal vision acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at a distance. If you have 20/100 vision, you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.
🔭 Does 20/20 mean perfect vision?
☑️ No. 20/20 vision only indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a specific test distance. Other important vision skills, including peripheral awareness or side vision, eye coordination, depth perception, focusing ability and color vision, contribute to your overall vision ability.
🔭 Is 15/15 vision better than 20/20 vision?
☑️ No. 15/15 vision means normal sharpness of vision at 15 feet, just as 20/20 indicates normal sharpness of vision at 20 feet.
🔭 Why do some people have less than 20/20 vision?
☑️ Many factors affect visual acuity. Vision conditions, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, or eye diseases affect clarity of vision.
🔭 If my vision is less than 20/20, what can I do?
☑️ In a comprehensive eye examination, a doctor of optometry can diagnose what causes, if any, are affecting your ability to see well. In most cases, your doctor of optometry can prescribe glasses, contact lenses or a vision therapy program that can help improve your vision. If the reduced vision is due to an eye disease, your doctor might prescribe eye medication or another treatment.
🚩 How Do You Correct Vision?
There are many safe and affordable choices:
☑️ Eyeglasses are the most traditional form. They bend light to improve your sight. They’re practical, affordable, and safe.
☑️ Contact lenses are good if you have an active lifestyle or don't like wearing eyeglasses. They work the same way as glasses but stay in place when you’re on the move. Plus you can wear sunglasses with them, which helps if you spend a lot of time outside. There are many different brands, colors, and materials, so get yours fitted by an eye health pro.
☑️ Corrective surgery changes the way your eye bends light. You don’t get it done for looks. You do it because it helps you depend less on glasses or contacts. You may not need to correct your vision at all after it.
↓↳➜⇢➤ Let’s now proceed to the Eye Health and Care Tips!
Eye Care Tips! There are things you can do to help keep your eyes healthy and make sure you are seeing your best:
✅ Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Your diet should include plenty or fruits and vegetables, especially deep yellow and green leafy vegetables. Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut can also help your eyes.
✅ Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or having obesity increases your risk of developing diabetes. Having diabetes puts you at higher risk of getting diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
✅ Get regular exercise. Exercise may help to prevent or control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to some eye or vision problems. So if you exercise regularly, you can lower your risk of getting these eye and vision problems.
✅ Wear sunglasses. Sun exposure can damage your eyes and raise your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Protect your eyes by using sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
✅ Wear protective eye wear. To prevent eye injuries, you need eye protection when playing certain sports, working in jobs such as factory work and construction, and doing repairs or projects in your home.
✅ Avoid smoking. Smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve.
✅Know your family medical history. Some eye diseases are inherited, so it is important to find out whether anyone in your family has had them. This can help you determine if you are at higher risk of developing an eye disease.
✅ Know your other risk factors. As you get older, you are at higher risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. It is important to know you risk factors because you may be able to lower your risk by changing some behaviors.
✅If you wear contacts, take steps to prevent eye infections. Wash your hands well before you put in or take out your contact lenses. Also follow the instructions on how to properly clean them, and replace them when needed.
✅ Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time using a computer, you can forget to blink your eyes and your eyes can get tired. To reduce eyestrain, try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.
Do note! Your eyes are an important part of your health. Most people rely on their eyes to see and make sense of the world around them. But some eye diseases can lead to vision loss, so it is important to identify and treat eye diseases as early as possible. You should get your eyes checked as often as your health care provider recommends it, or if you have any new vision problems. And just as it is important to keep your body healthy, you also need to keep your eyes healthy.
Sources: US National Library for Medicine. (2017). Eye Care.; https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/vision-and-vision-correction/visual-acuity?sso=y; https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/2020-vision.htm; and https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/vision-basics.
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