Visual Acuity Flashcards
What is Visual Acuity?
Visual keenness, sharpness of vision, and acuteness of vision.
True of False: VA is done everywhere including vision screenings, DMV, and during physical examination.
True.
What is VA measurement testing?
Every structure in the eye including cornea, lens, and retina. The entire neurological mechanism of vision. Brain structures underlying memory & cognition.
True or False: The strength of a chain is not determined by its weakest link. In order words, VA is not determined by the poorest functioning structure.
False.
What does it mean if the VA is normal? (Involving the chain)
It concludes that every structure making up the pathway is working normally.
What is Ametropia?
Faulty refraction of light rays by the eye.
What are three examples of Ametropia?
Myopia (nearsightedness), Hyperopia (farsightedness), and Astigmatism.
Does light focus behind the retina or in front of the retina in a myopic eye?
Light focuses in front of the retina on the “near side of the eye,” thus nearsightedness.
Does light focus behind the retina or in front of the retina in a hyperopic eye?
Light focuses behind the retina on the “far side of the retina,” this farsightedness.
True or False: During Astigmatism, light from a point object focuses as a single point but not as sharply.
False. Light from a point object does not focus as a single point; instead it focuses as two line images at different distances from the object.
VA involves Psychophysics. What is Psychophysics?
Involves brain and stimulus. It is the relationship between what someone sees, or says he sees, and a particular visual stimulus.
What are some accidental ways in which a patient may have reduced VA?
Patient may not care about trying. Patient cannot name the stimulus. Patient misunderstands directions. Patient is unable to respond. The patient cannot pay attention or is uncooperative.
What are the 4 types of VA?
Detection, Resolution, Recognition, and Direction.
What is detection?
Can the patient see that something is there.
What is resolution?
Can the patient distinguish the components of a complex stimulus that is detected.
What is recognition?
Can the patient identify or name the stimulus that he can both detect and whose parts he can resolve.
What is Direction?
Where is it.
True of False: Visual acuity measured during a screening is resolution VA.
True.
How is detection and recognition made very easy?
By making targets that are highly familiar and bright, and that has high contrast. Ex: Numbers, ABC’s, pictures.
True or False: The most commonly used and familiar VA test is based on the one published in 1862 called Landolt C.
False. It is the snellen system by Hermann Snellen.
How is physical size reported?
Physical size of objects is normally reported in millimeters or centimeter.
How is visual size measured?
Visual size is measured and reported in angular units (minarc= minute of arc).
True of false: Secarc=1/60 of a degree, minarc=1/360 of a circle, and degree=1/60 of a minarc.
False. Secarc=1/60 of a minarc, minarc=1/60 of a degree, and degree=1/360 of a circle.
True of False: The Snellen system tries to make both detection and recognition very easy, so that the VA we measure depends upon resolution.
True.
What is critical detail? What is its value?
Visual size of the lines that make up the letters. 1.0 minarc.
What is overall height? What is its value?
Top to bottom size of letter. 5 times the critical detail.
True of False: The visual size of the overall height of a basic target is 1.0 minarc.
False. critical detail X 5 = overall height.
1.0 minarc X 5 = 5.0 minarc.
What visual size can the standard observer recognize?
1 minarc critical detail and 5 minarc overall height. Therefore, the standard observer can recognize (detect and resolve) letters with the parameters of a “Basic Target”.
Is the standard observer considered normal?
Yes.
What is the standard test distance quantified at?
20 feet, or 6 meters, or 6000 millimeters.
True or False: The standard observer s able to recognize targets with the visual size of the basic target from the standard test distance.
True. The standard observer is able to recognize basic targets from a viewing distance of 20 feet.
If visual size of the overall height of a basic target is 1.0 minarc and the critical detail is 5.0 minarc, what is the PHYSICAL size of the overall height of a basic target and its critical detail?
Overall height of basic target= 8.73 mm
Critical detail= 1.7 mm
tan (0.0833)=opp/6000mm where opp=8.73mm is the over height. Overall height/5= 8.73mm/5= 1.7mm critical detail.
When VA is reduced below normal, what can you do?
Increase the visual size by moving the patient towards the chart or presenting larger targets.
True or False: When reduced VA occurs, it is easier to move the patient closer to the target than it is to increase the target size.
False. It is always easier and more practical to increase target size than have the patient move.
What are the rules for making larger targets when VA is worse than 20/20?
Increase the visual size by making sure letters go up in size in proportion and to make sure letter size is designated by the distance at which it would have the visual size of the basic target.