Question
MY TWO YEAR OLD SON HAS DIAGNOSED WITH BEING SEVERELY FARSIGHTED. HIS PRESCRIPTION IS 8.25 IN ONE EYE AND 8.50 IN THE OTHER. I WAS TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT HIS VISION IS BY THE SNELLEN CHART? 20/50 OR 20/100 OR WHAT? ALSO I WAS WONDERING WITH ME HAVING 20/20 VISION I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT A CHART OR SOMETHING AND COMPARE WHAT HE IS SEEING WITHOUT HIS GLASSES. IS THIS POSSIBLE? THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP
Answer
A two year old who is as farsighted as you say is treated to prevent amblyopia (lazy eye), eye turn inward (esotropia), and poor eyesight. It is difficult to ascertain visual acuity by subjective means unless he is able to distinguish shapes, pictures, etc., otherwise we rely purely on the physician's skill in measuring his refractive error (prescription amount) objectively. As is gets older and eventually being able to recognise the tumbling "E", pictures, shapes, etc and ultimately the Snellen letters and numbers, a more accurate assessment of his visual acuity will be obtainable.
Dr. Ken
