Vision and Hearing Screening
Snellen distance testing is done at 20 feet one eye at a time; 20/20 is normal, and the bottom number is the distance at which a normal eye reads that line.
Snellen distance visual acuity
- Well-lit room; patient stands or sits 20 feet (6 metres) from the chart.
- Test uncorrected (glasses or contacts off) and, if needed, again with corrective lenses ('best corrected').
- Cover one eye with the palm, a card or an occluder; test one eye at a time.
- The patient reads the smallest line they can; guessing is allowed.
- Use number, picture or symbol charts for patients who cannot read, especially children.
- Record as a fraction for each eye.
Preview only. The full sheet also covers: Reading the result; Other vision tests; Hearing screening.
Sources
- Visual acuity test (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Color vision test (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Audiometry (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Clinical Nursing Skills, 22.2 Eyes · OpenStax, Rice University (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Clinical Nursing Skills, 22.3 Ears · OpenStax, Rice University (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)