Certified Ophthalmic Assistant Practice Exam

During a visual acuity test, a patient sees the letters on the 20/40 line correctly. What does this indicate?

1. The patient has normal vision

2. The patient can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can see at 40 feet

3. The patient has better than average vision

4. The patient requires glasses for distance

The correct answer is: The patient can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can see at 40 feet

When a patient sees the letters on the 20/40 line correctly during a visual acuity test, it indicates that the patient can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can see at 40 feet. This means that their visual clarity is not as sharp as that of an individual with normal vision, which is typically defined as 20/20 vision. This metric is a standard way to describe visual acuity, where the first number represents the distance at which the test is performed (20 feet) and the second number indicates the distance at which a person with normal vision would see the same detail. Since the patient sees at a distance of 20 feet what someone with normal vision would need to be 40 feet away to see, this directly corresponds to the definition of 20/40 vision. In contrast, normal vision is denoted as 20/20, and seeing at a reduced capacity, like 20/40, often suggests that the patient may require corrective lenses, but it doesn't directly indicate that they have better than average vision or that they need glasses without further comprehensive assessment.