# How do you get better vision than 20/20? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2000, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258 "2000-01-08T23:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llardball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Llardball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llardball)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/1 "2000-01-08T23:20:00Z")
I was just thinking about what glasses and contacts actually do (help focus the light to the back of the eyeball), and thought if 20/20 vision is when the light is perfectly focused on the back of the eyeball, then how do you get better vision than that? You can’t focus any more than 20/20 can you? What’s the deal? * * * I realize I’m generalizing here, but as in most cases, I don’t care. -Dave Barry ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/2 "2000-01-08T23:27:00Z")
I think that 20/20 means that at 20 feet away you can see clearly what most people can see clearly at 20 feet. 20/50 vision would be that at 20 feet, you see what most people see at 50 feet. I have 20/15 vision, meaning that at 20 feet, I see what most people see at 15 feet. Please correct me if I’m wrong about this. * * * – Teeming Millions: [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions) “Meat flaps, yellow!” - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat O p a l C a t [www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com) ---
**Author:** ![Llardball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Llardball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llardball)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/3 "2000-01-08T23:30:00Z")
You are correct. I know what 20/20 means and all but how does your eye get better than 20/20? I want to know the details such as how light is focused on the back of the eye? Any eye doctors out there? * * * I realize I’m generalizing here, but as in most cases, I don’t care. -Dave Barry ---
**Author:** ![eggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@eggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eggo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/4 "2000-01-08T23:57:00Z")
you can’t get any better than perfect focus, but you can get a clearer picture if you have more recepter cells on the retina. that is why an eagle can see a mouse from 500 feet up. eggo ---
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/5 "2000-01-09T00:30:00Z")
20/20 isn’t perfect, it’s average. Over 20/20 means you have better than average sight. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/6 "2000-01-09T16:31:00Z")
20/20 isn’t everything. I have better than that vision. It just means I can read smaller letters than 20mm at 20 ft. You can have 20/20 vision but your eyes aren’t _coordinated_ to use to see clearly. ---
**Author:** ![RobRoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@RobRoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobRoy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2000, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/7 "2000-01-10T00:36:00Z")
BINOCULARS. You could have glasses made that actually magnify - but they might be thick. By better than 20/20 you mean seeing something at 400 feet that the average human sees at 20, for example. That would be 400/20 vision. That would also be 20x magnifying binoculars. ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2000, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/8 "2000-01-10T04:54:00Z")
I think you got that right **OpalCat** , I think I have something like 20/400. My family gots bad eyes. ---
**Author:** ![TBone2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@TBone2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBone2)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/9 "2000-01-10T05:09:00Z")
Surgoshan, your family also gots bad grammar… “20/20” means simply that you can see as well as the average person WITH PERFECT AVERAGE EYES. Example: the vision in my left eye is 20/160, meaning that what the ‘normal’ person can see 160’ away is only clear to me at a distance of 20’. With the aid of modern plastic lenses, I can still fry the lot of you with a mere glance. Keep it in mind. * * * I don’t know why fortune smiles on some and lets the rest go free… T ---
**Author:** ![RobRoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@RobRoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobRoy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2000, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/10 "2000-01-10T05:24:00Z")
Since we are nit picking here - ““20/20” means simply that you can see as well as the average person WITH PERFECT AVERAGE EYES.” Don’t you mean PERFECTLY? There is nothing perfect, not imperfect about seeing at 20 feet what others can see at 20 feet, except that it is perfectly normal. ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2000, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/11 "2000-01-10T07:30:00Z")
This question has been done before. That is the past (passive) _perfect_. We didn’t use to repeat questions. That is English’s _imperfect_ rendition of a past [negative] _imperfect_ tense. Ray (I want to make this _perfectly_ clear. . .) ---
**Author:** ![PrivyQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/85e7bf/32.png) [@PrivyQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrivyQueen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/12 "2000-01-10T21:19:00Z")
How do you get better than 20/20 vision? Start with bad eyesight, and a prescription from an eyedoctor. I have -12 and -13 vision, it is corrected by my glasses to 20/20, and by my contacts to 20/15. Or so says my eye doctor. * * * Life is a tragedy to those who feel…and a comedy to those that think ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/13 "2000-01-11T01:06:00Z")
I think getting past 20/15 also involves some practice at recognizing shapes and resolving subtle visual differences. I passed the 20/10 test (with glassess), but the letters were just blurry smudges. I think what allowed me to recognize them was practice at staring at stuff and recognizing patterns from noisy or blurry data. The doctor said most of the people who test at 20/15 or better are pilots, engineers, and scientists. I don’t think people become engineers, etc. because they have good eyesight, but rather they develop better than average pattern recognition skills from their jobs (just like a musician [maybe not a rock musician :)] could probably do better than average on some types of hearing tests). Also, the doctor stopped the test when I tested ok at 20/15. I had to request that we continue on to 20/10- which I also passed. If I hadn’t specifically requested it, I’d think I only had 20/15. Maybe this implies that some people have better vision than they think, and the testers just stop at 20/20 or 20/15 since that’s all they needed to get to. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/14 "2000-01-11T07:39:00Z")
Two words, Borg implants. Sorry couldn’t resist, God I’m bored… ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2000, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/15 "2000-01-11T17:15:00Z")
When I get an eye test, I say to the tester, ‘made in hong kong.’ They say what? I say thats the bottom line on the eye chart. fun ---
**Author:** ![fLoWeRcHiLdGenerationY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@fLoWeRcHiLdGenerationY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fLoWeRcHiLdGenerationY)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-better-vision-than-20-20/6258/16 "2000-01-16T23:25:00Z")
your born with it, I guess…I have 20/10 vision, but I’m 15, so age probably/does indeed affect vision clarity. My dad also has 20/10 vision (well, he used to), so I’m assuming that I’m getting it from him…the vision’s great, cuz I (for some odd, twisted, probably-has-nothing-to-do-with- this-topic reason) can almost completely read in the dark, but back to the topic. if u mean, how could you GET 20/20 vision if u don’t already have it, then I don’t think there’s any operation (such as laser surgery) that could improve your eye sight any further…like I said, I think you just gotta be born with it. * * * I’m not weird, I’m just Gifted…okay, so I’m weird too… ~I’m 15, people, but don’t doubt my intelligence~ \*fLoWeR cHiLd, 2nd generation… “Im not opinionated, Im just always right.” ©Me