visual acuity measurement v prescription

king2

I'm 47 and have not needed glasses up to now.I just had an eye test at Specsavers and was told my acuity was 6/15, 6/24. I knew my acuity was down slightly but didnt think by as much as this.My previous results a few years ago were 6/7.5, 6/7.5. I would have thought I was still at about that or maybe 6/9, 6/9. During the test the optometrist asked me to start at the smallest line I could see.This may have lead to me not doing myself justice as If I couldn't see the line fairly clearly I started at the one above it.Is this the correct way to conduct an eye test, to ask the person to read the smallest line they can see? At my last test I seem to remember being asked to attempt to read every line whether I could see it clearly or not. Would getting an incorrect visual acuity figure also mean that my prescription might be inaccurate?

Daisies

king2 wrote: »

I'm 47 and have not needed glasses up to now.I just had an eye test at Specsavers and was told my acuity was 6/15, 6/24. I knew my acuity was down slightly but didnt think by as much as this.My previous results a few years ago were 6/7.5, 6/7.5. I would have thought I was still at about that or maybe 6/9, 6/9. During the test the optometrist asked me to start at the smallest line I could see.This may have lead to me not doing myself justice as If I couldn't see the line fairly clearly I started at the one above it.Is this the correct way to conduct an eye test, to ask the person to read the smallest line they can see? At my last test I seem to remember being asked to attempt to read every line whether I could see it clearly or not. Would getting an incorrect visual acuity figure also mean that my prescription might be inaccurate?

Short answer, it won't affect your prescription. Whether you strain to see a line or just read the one that you can see clearly, will have no bearing on your final prescription. Your optometrist will do numerous tests and checks to ensure you are getting the correct prescription.

I nearly always start by asking to read the smallest line they can.

king2

She also stated that my eyesight was below minimum for Driving which I definitely dont agree with. I checked the requirement and its 6/12 using both eyes Together. I cant see how She can say I'm below the minimum when she only measured acuity in each eye individually!