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What does my visual acuity mean?
Convert your acuity between decimal, Snellen and logMAR — and read what the number does and doesn't say.
⚠ Acute symptoms?Sudden vision loss, an eye injury, chemicals in the eye, severe pain, or new blind spots in your visual field? Don't wait for an online explanation — call your GP (huisarts), the out-of-hours GP service, or 112 immediately.
Pick your visual acuity (decimal, as on your results)
The same acuity in other notations
Decimal
0.80
Snellen (6 metres)
6/7.5
Snellen (20 feet, US)
20/25
logMAR
0.10
Between 0.5 and 1.0 vision is reduced but often very usable. As a rule of thumb, around 0.5 (with both eyes together, with glasses if needed) is the lower limit for driving in the Netherlands — your optometrist can interpret this precisely for you.
Mind the difference: visual acuity is how sharply you see (with or without correction), not a lens power. An acuity of 0.8 does not mean '-0.8 dioptres' — they are entirely different numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a visual acuity of 0.8 good?
0.8 means you miss slightly finer detail at distance than the 1.0 reference — often still very usable. More important than the number alone: was it measured with correction, and has it changed compared to before?
Is visual acuity the same as lens power?
No — the most common confusion. Acuity says how sharply you see (possibly with glasses); lens power (in dioptres) says which correction you need. An acuity of 0.8 is something entirely different from −0.8 dioptres.
What does 6/12 or 20/40 mean?
Snellen notation: you see at 6 metres (or 20 feet) what a reference person sees at 12 metres (or 40 feet). Converted, 6/12 equals a decimal acuity of 0.5.
Further reading in the knowledge base
Colour blindness: seeing red and green differently
About 1 in 12 men sees colours differently, usually in the red-green range. How colour vision works, what an Ishihara test measures, and what it means for school, work and driving.
Strabismus and lazy eye: why the first years of life count
A drifting eye or an unnoticed power difference can cause a lazy eye in children. Why early treatment pays off so much, how patching works, and what adults can still do.
Want real certainty?
A registered optometrist reviews your complete file — measurements, scans and your question — and signs a report. Within 48 hours.
See the review options