What 20/20 Vision Really Mean

[Katahu]

I kept getting tired of meeting people in my lifetime that kept thinking that 20/20 vision means that one eye can see up to 20 while the other can see the same distance. So if you are one of those people who kept getting the medical term confused then here you go:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question126.htm

Finally something to back up my claim that 20/20 vision means that an object sitting 20 feet from you will appear to be 20 feet from you.

[beefhole]

Finally something to back up my claim that 20/20 vision means that an object sitting 20 feet from you will appear to be 20 feet from you.

Erm... that's depth perception. 20/20 is a measure of your vision on the accuracy scale.  Basically, it's a comparison.  Someone who has, say 20/150 vision can see at 20' what most people can see at 150'.

[BMan1113VR]

[quote]
Erm... that's depth perception. 20/20 is a measure of your vision on the accuracy scale.

[legoalex2000]

Erm... that's depth perception. 20/20 is a measure of your vision on the accuracy scale.  Basically, it's a comparison.  Someone who has, say 20/150 vision can see at 20' what most people can see at 150'.

are you sure he didnt put on a pair of telescopes?

thats how i heard it, im 20/60 i keep hearing...

ramos

[ozzy72]

And there was me thinking it was the ability to see at least 20 inches after 20 units of alcohol

[beefhole]

And there was me thinking it was the ability to see at least 20 inches after 20 units of alcohol

I'm sure there's a conversion scale for that

[H]

I used to be rated at 20/17 but now I'm fighting to keep it at 20/20. Actually, my left eye magnifies things more than my right eye which somewhat messes up my parallactic view (depth perception).
H, quite normally abnormal

Katahu's claim could be correct if elaborated; specifically, it is as beefhole stated.