What does "20\20" Mean? 20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity, which is the clarity or how sharp your vision is, measured at a distance of 20 feet. The size of the letters on the standard eye chart is based on work done by the Dutch ophthalmologist, Herman Snellen, in the 1860’s. As a general guideline, if you have 20/20 vision, this means you can see at 20 feet what normal people see at 20 feet. If you have 20/80 vision, this means that you must be at 20 feet to see what normal people would see at 80 feet. Some people actually have better than 20/20 vision. For example, if someone has 20/15 vision, this means that that person could be at 20 feet to see an object whereas normal people would have to be at 15 feet to see the same object. Does 20/20 mean perfect vision? No, it only indicates how sharp your vision is. Peripheral vision (the area of vision around you), eye coordination, depth perception, color vision and focusing ability all contribute to your overall visual ability. What does “Legally Blind” mean? Legal blindness is defined in 2 ways. First, if the vision in the better eye is 20/200 or less with corrective lenses (glasses or contacts), the person is considered legally blind. Second, someone whose peripheral vision is reduced to 20 degrees or less in the better eye is considered to be legally blind. (A person with normal peripheral vision has 140 degrees or greater of peripheral vision.) Reference: www.aoa.org and www.ct.gov. Eye Health and Omega-3 Why are omega-3 (EFAs) fatty acids good for your eyes? Studies have increasingly shown the health benefits of consuming healthy fatty acids, primarily omega-3. These healthy fats are thought to help reduce “bad” cholesterol, which helps maintain good blood flow providing oxygen and nutrients for the eyes as well as the rest of the body. Studies suggest that prolonged deficiencies in adults may increase the risk of damage to the retina. In 2007, one study found that people who eat at least two servings of fish weekly are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss among people aged 65 or older in the United States. Some foods containing high amounts of omega-3 are: walnuts, butternuts, flaxseed, soybean, oils (flaxseed, cod liver, and soybean) and fatty fish (salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, sardines and bluefish). Fatty acids may also reduce the symptoms of dry eye syndrome, according to a 2005 study, especially among women. Reference: www.allaboutvision.com.



