It never fails. When you jump in your car these days, especially in our OKC, Tulsa, and Houston markets, you will undoubtedly hear some type of LASIK or vision correction commercial. And the vast majority of these commercials are promising 20/20 vision. But what does that mean exactly? The answer is actually pretty simple, if you know the facts. So take a seat. School is now in session!
How is 20/20 vision defined?
What “20/20” means, in the simplest terms, is that one can see at a 20-foot distance what one is supposed to be able to see at a 20-foot distance.
Does that sound vague? That sounds vague.
Basically, this Dutch eye doctor named Herman Snellen developed an eye chart in 1862 that, at a distance of 20 feet from the viewer, displayed lines of letters that determined how good a person’s vision is. It starts at the 20/200 line (or what you see at 20 feet is what others can see from 200 feet — meaning you have to be that much closer to see what others can see at 200 feet) and has 20/20 as the goal.
It sounds kind of arbitrary, but to Snellen’s credit, he developed an eye measurement system and a language for talking about visual ability that’s still in use today. Don’t fix what’s not broken.
Perfect vision isn’t 20/20 everywhere. In fact, that’s really only what we call it in the U.S. Countries that use the metric system call it 6/6, referring to 6 meters of distance instead of 20 feet.
So 20/20 is as good as it gets?
No. You can have better than 20/20 vision. For example, if your vision were 20/15, that means you can step back five feet and read the Snellen chart the same as someone else five feet closer. In fact, when tested, many people who’ve undergone LASIK report seeing with better than 20/20 vision six months after the surgery.
More to the point, about 94% of people in a clinical study who underwent LASIK saw 20/20 or better six months after surgery. There are also possible side effects, the most common among them including dry eye or visual disturbances. So there’s more to consider than just the possibility of 20/20 or better vision. That said, if you’re part of the almost half of American adults with less-than-ideal vision, you can talk with one of our nJoy Vision doctors about your expectations and concerns, and they can discuss your options.
The best place to start is to schedule a FREE Consultation. Simply head over to njoyvision.com/schedule and set it up in a matter of minutes. From there, we’ll be able to walk you through your options and answer any questions you might have.
Plus, if you schedule your consultation this month, you can still take advantage of our Summer Savings promo. We’ll knock $600* off the cost of LASIK, just like that!
*Save $300/eye. **Offer valid on all-laser LASIK, PRK, ICL and RLE procedures at participating nJoy Vision locations only. Book consult by August 31st, 2016. Complete procedure by September 30th, 2016. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with other discounts, insurance or special offers.
