New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eye examination

An eye examination is a battery of tests performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist assessing vision and ability to focus on and discern objects, as well as other tests and examinations pertaining to the eyes. All people should have periodic and thorough eye examinations as part of routine care by the primary care physician, especially since many eye diseases are silent or asymptomatic.

Eye examinations may detect potentially treatable blinding eye diseases, ocular manifestations of systemic disease, or signs of tumours or other anomalies of the brain. Visual acuity is the eye's ability to detect fine details and is the quantitative measure of the eye's ability to see an in-focus image at a certain distance. The standard definition of normal visual acuity (20/20 or 6/6 vision) is the ability to resolve a spatial pattern separated by a visual angle of one minute of arc. The terms 20/20 and 6/6 are derived from standardized sized objects that can be seen by a "person of normal vision" at the specified distance. For example, if one can see the normal object that can usually be seen at 20 ft at a distance of 20 ft, then you have 20/20. If one can see at 20 ft what a normal person can see at 40 ft, then the vision is 20/40. Similarly, if one can see at 20 ft an object size that normally can be seen at 200 ft, then the vision is 20/200.

Related Stories
 


Health & Medicine News

February 8, 2026

Researchers have found a surprising way to turn sunflower oil waste into a powerful bread upgrade. By replacing part of wheat flour with partially defatted sunflower seed flour, breads became dramatically richer in protein, fiber, and ...
Scientists have uncovered promising clues that compounds found in Aloe vera could play a role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Using advanced computer modeling, researchers discovered that beta-sitosterol—a natural plant compound—strongly ...
Scientists have identified a promising new compound, Mic-628, that can reliably shift the body’s internal clock forward—something that’s notoriously hard to do. By targeting a key clock-control protein, Mic-628 jump-starts the gene that sets ...
What a mother eats during pregnancy may quietly shape her child’s liver health years down the road—but new research suggests there may be a way to tip the odds back in a healthier direction. Scientists found that a natural compound made by ...
New research suggests the astringent sensation caused by flavanols could act as a direct signal to the brain, triggering effects similar to a mild workout for the nervous system. In mouse experiments, flavanol intake boosted activity, curiosity, ...
New simulations reveal that both H1N1 and COVID-19 spread across U.S. cities in a matter of weeks, often before officials realized what was happening. Major travel hubs helped drive rapid nationwide transmission, with air travel playing a bigger ...
A major study suggests menopause is linked to changes in brain structure, mental health, and sleep. Brain scans revealed grey matter loss in areas tied to memory and emotional regulation, while many women reported increased anxiety, depression, and ...
For decades, Americans were surrounded by lead from car exhaust, factories, paint, and even drinking water, often without realizing the damage it caused. By analyzing hair samples preserved across generations, scientists uncovered a striking record ...
New research suggests that Epstein-Barr virus may actively provoke the immune system in people with multiple sclerosis. Scientists found large buildups of virus-targeting immune cells in the nervous ...
Researchers have discovered a previously unknown enzyme that plays a crucial role in fat production. By blocking it, they stopped weight gain, reduced liver damage, and lowered harmful cholesterol levels in animal studies. The finding opens the door ...
Colorectal cancer has long baffled scientists because, unlike most tumors, patients often do better when their cancers are packed with immune-suppressing regulatory T cells. New research finally explains why. Scientists discovered that these T cells ...
Scientists at Keck Medicine of USC are testing an experimental stem cell therapy that aims to restore the brain’s ability to produce dopamine, the chemical whose loss drives Parkinson’s disease. The early-stage clinical trial involves implanting ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET