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Online eye test: Check your eyesight for free now

Elena Velhartická

Medically reviewed by Elena Velhartická, Optician, on 7 Oct 2025 Written by Colin Asher

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2.2 billion people live with some form of vision impairment.1 So how do you find out if your eyes need help? And how do you measure your own eyesight? This article will provide you with a good starting point.

A brief history of eye charts

The inventor typically credited with creating the first eye chart is German ophthalmologist Heinrich Küchler around 1835. Dutch eye doctor Herman Snellen later developed a chart in 1862 that standardized Küchler's design of progressively smaller text. The early Snellen charts used symbols, but eventually evolved to incorporate specifically shaped letters. Snellen charts with slight variations would go on to became the norm and are still used today to measure eyesight.2 During an eye exam with a Snellen chart, your eye doctor will ask you to read the smallest line of letters you can. Put plainly, if you're able to read the bottom row of letters, your visual acuity is excellent.

Take an eye test here

If you want to find out whether you need glasses or contact lenses, you should book an eye test with your local eye care practitioner. Before visiting a professional, you can try our online eye chart, which may give you an initial indication whether or not you have issues with distance vision.

Click here to print your eye test

Please note: This chart is not a substitute for an actual eye exam performed by a medical professional. This chart is half the size of a regular Snellen chart and is designed to fit on one sheet of A4 paper for easy home printing. Due to ocular accommodation, in which your eyes can adjust to visual weaknesses at 5 metres/16 feet and under, the results from 3 meters/10 feet are not as accurate as those based on a larger chart from the official medical distance of 6 metres/20 feet.

The test we're providing here is only for testing nearsightedness, which means blurry distance vision. Farsightedness, astigmatism and other eye problems can't be measured with our chart. Only a comprehensive eye examination by a licensed optometrist can determine whether your eyes are healthy and you can see as clearly and comfortably as possible.

How to use our online Snellen eye chart

  • Print the chart on a piece of A4 paper with print scale set to 100%.
  • Place the chart on a wall and stand 3 metres/10 feet away.
  • Cover one eye and read the letters on the chart from top to bottom.
  • Repeat with the other eye, and then with both eyes together.
  • The smallest row of letters that you read accurately determines visual acuity in the uncovered eye.

How to interpret your results

The results of your chart reading will determine the quality of your eyesight. Your results will be expressed as a fraction based on traditional-sized chart measurements. Fractions are shown to the left of each row and identify how well you can see. For example:

  • 20/20 vision: If you can read clearly to the ninth line, your vision is 20/20. This means you can read the same line of letters at 20 feet / 6.09 metres that people with normal vision can read at 20 feet / 6.09 metres.Your vision is considered ideal by medical standards.
  • 20/40 vision: If you can read clearly to the sixth line, your vision is 20/40. This means you can read the same line of letters at 20 feet / 6.09 metres that people with normal vision can read at 40 feet / 12.2 metres. The 20/40 line is the standard cutoff point for needing corrective lenses. If this line cannot be read, then vision correction is typically prescribed.

Catching vision issues early on and raising awareness can help create a clearer world for everyone. Here’s to healthy eyes!

Sources

1. The World Health Organization, Blindness and visual impairment
2. The National Library of Medicine, Evaluation of Visual Acuity

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Comments

Add a question

Mohd H.

Hii, i have been using specs since i was 10 yrs old and now i am 20, i have Farsightedness, my specs number kept on increasing. But from the last few months or almost a year, i have noticed something that when i do an eye exercise and when i stretch my eye and try to focus on the object which is kept at a distance becomes clear. And after that i put off my glasses and tried one another time, the result was same.

Can i recover my eyesight?

Lentiamo Anna

Hello,

Engaging in eye exercises can be highly beneficial for maintaining eye health and may contribute to stopping the progression of diopters or even improving your vision.

Nevertheless, I would strongly advise consulting with a doctor who can provide you with a more accurate prognosis.

Best regards,

Krishna

I use computer for hours in a day. First time, when I checked in a hospital they said that my eye power is -0.5. After a week, In another hospital I checked, they informed that my eye power for both eyes are -0.75. Finally, I went to another optometrist and they said -1 in left eye and -0.75 in right eye. So, I brought eye glasses of -1 and -0.75. But, sometimes I feel head ache and eye pain. Now at home, I tested my own and found more than -1 in both eyes (both eye different).
Will the eye get normal vision after wearing glasses? Will refractive error progress in a week? Is it necessary to use glasses all the time?

Lentiamo Gergana-Ekaterina

Dear Krishna,

Thank you for your comment.

While it is possible that the dioptres do increase over time (and age), changes usually do not occur over a week.

The glasses will correct the vision whilst wearing them.
We'd suggest contacting your ophthalmologist to discuss how you should be wearing your glasses.

Regards.

Dale

New glasses today. 20/20 each eye, and slightly better with both. Without glasses 20/100 Right eye, 20/80 left eye. Glasses seem quite strong, but have kept them on for seven hours .

Lentiamo Klára

Dear Dale,

Thank you for your comment.

In order for the body and brain to get used to the new prescription glasses, it is recommended to wear them for at least 3 days to evaluate their use.

If you experience any discomfort, please contact your eye specialist.

Have a lovely day.

Dale

Yes, the doctor said to wear them full time, for distance, and reading.
They are comfortable, but I have found that I need to push back reading material farther away from my eyes. Also everything appears much smaller, and incredibly clear than without glasses.
The prescription is, right eye - 1.75, and left eye -1.50.
The doctor said that I will probably need stronger lenses within a year, after my eyes get used to these. He said that this is a fairly strong first prescription.
My distance vision began to get quite blurred after I began working on a desktop for several hours a day.

Khushbakht

The vision of my right eye is 20/20 but that of my left eye is 20/32 , is it ok if i donot wear glasses?

Lentiamo Klára

Hello,

Thank you for your comment.

It depends on your personal feeling, as long as you do not feel any discomfort when looking, it is not necessary to wear glasses.

If you would like to be sure that everything is fine, we recommend that you visit an eye specialist who will provide you with professional care.

Have a lovely day.

No

very bad didnt give me my test big scammer rude

Lentiamo Klára

Hello,

we regret if there is some issue. The test is for informational purposes only, you will need to see an eye specialist to have your vision measured correctly.

Have a lovely day.

Highwayman

At the age of 30, I had a stroke which left me with a blind area on the right side and upper quadrant of both eyes. Five years later, I had my driving licence restored and have enjoyed 35 years of wonderful driving without so much as a parking ticket or speeding fine! Apart from someone smashing into the rear of my car when I was stationary at traffic lights, I have not been involved in any accidents or incidents. My eyesight has gradually improved and the blind area has receded, but when I tried to renew my driving licence at 70 years of age, the licence agency have decided this blind area does not meet the minimum standards! They will not renew my licence. I am absolutely gutted, devastated, and swamped by depression. This is totally . I wouldn't mind so much if they had some justification, but oh no. There is a line on a chart and 35 years of safe driving counts for nothing. Oh, without my specs, I can read line 7 on the Smollen chart, and with glasses, row 9! I can also identify all the numbers in the colour chart. When I sit in my car and look straight ahead, I can see the entire front windscreen and the door mirrors on both sides. I hope to win an appeal but I need the support of my doctor... but I haven't been treated for the stroke since 1993!

Lentiamo Gergana-Ekaterina

Hello,

Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story.
We recommend following your doctor's recommendations and we wish you the best of luck with the appeal.

Kind Regards.

Sue C.

got to level 5 at 3 metres! yet my first visit to the optometrist says I needed glasses and was considered legally not able to drive!!! The specs he prescribed give me double vision and blurriness! I would NEVER consider driving in them! They also made me feel very dizzy when walking! I see perfectly well to drive and feel that he was just trying to make money!

Lentiamo Gergana-Ekaterina

Hello Sue,


Thank you for your comment.


I am sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience with your
ophthalmologist.


We would suggest a consultation with another specialist, so you can be sure
that a proper diagnosis is done.


Regards.


Susan B.

Hi Sue, you might be interested to know that on www.endmyopia.org they say yes, they ARE trying to make money and you can actually improve your eyesight instead of wearing glasses. It sounds as though the glasses were way too strong, not surprisingly if you can see without them! Anyway that's why I was here looking at the Snellen chart, because they suggest using it to track your improvements. There's a good interview here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94D8Y6UmMtg.

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