Items Needed to Test Your Vision at Home
- Something to cover the eye, like a paper cup or facial tissue
- Scissors
- Tape or tack to hang the test chart on the wall
- A pencil or pen to record the results
- A yardstick, tape measure, or ruler
- A flashlight, if available
- A well-lighted room at least 10 feet long
- Vision testing chart
Prepare the testing area
- Download and print the Home Vision Testing Chart.
- When printed, the largest letter at the top of the chart should be just under an inch tall.
- Measure 10 feet from a wall with no windows, and place a chair at this point.
- Tape or pin the chart on the bare wall, level with the eyes of the person you will test as he or she sits in the chair.
Perform Test
- Have the person being tested sit in the chair, 10 feet from the chart. Make sure the chart is level with his or her eyes.
- Have the person being tested cover one eye. If he or she uses eyeglasses for distance vision, the glasses should be worn during the test.
- Shine the flashlight on each line of the chart, while the person you are testing reads the letters out loud. Continue to the bottom row or until the letters are too difficult for the person to see.
- Write down the number of the smallest line seen correctly (the line with the majority of the letters correctly identified).
- Now repeat the test with the other eye covered and record the results.
Home Vision Test Results
Record the results of your home screening by filling in the number of the smallest line you could read for each line below.
Right Eye: 20 / _____
Left Eye: 20 / _____