This is a bit of a crazy story, that Stefanie is telling. Strap in, because she went from, what, 20/70 to 20/40 in a month? Legal to drive with a 1.5 diopter lowered prescription? Is that even possible? What is going on over here, in wizard land?
Check this out:
The title here was a bit clickbait-ey, I admit it. The optometrist is obviously pretty cool.
Look at those numbers, though! February, we’re starting with a -8.5 diopters. March, we’re down 1.5 diopters, and Stefanie is legal to drive. And no, that’s not a real 1.5 diopter reduction (quite yet), but she worked down from a 20/70 to a 20/40 in an impressively short amount of time.
If you’re already into getting your eyesight back on track, you know just how big the difference between 20/70 and 20/40 is. If you don’t, here:
Yes, that 20/40 font is about half the size of the 20/70. If you’re ready to put in a tiny amount of research effort, get an eye chart printed (or order one online), hang that thing up on a wall at home, and see for yourself how much of an accomplishment it is to see two extra lines on that Snellen chart.
Also of note, if you’re new in these parts (welcome, you!), 20/40 is legally sanctioned for driving. The 20/10 attempts you’re being sold at the corner chainstore optic shop, that’s like steroids for your eyes. Even the government, all cautious and over protective of its tax paying citizens, doesn’t require more than 20/40. Look at the font size difference between 20/40 and 20/10.
Full chart:
You’ve seen that one, at the optic shop. Also affably known as the make-that-money. lens-sales chart, in these parts here.
And now look at 20/40 to 20/10, the massive reduction in font between what’s legally good vision and sold at the optic shop:
The top line is what the government says is good vision.
The bottom line (yikes, seriously, just look at it!), is what they’re prescribing you to. You might sometimes say that I am prone to dramatic flair, but that chart is what they use. It may look like an insane photoshop caricature, but it’s actually the truth. Top line, good vision, bottom line, the sales target. Don’t go asking the optician either, where that gigantic discrepancy in what’s considered “good”, comes from. It’d be like asking the car dealer if you really need that rust protection or the electronics shop whether the extended warranty is necessary.
So that’s in part where Stefanie’s amount of reduction comes from, going with more realistic vision expectations. But also, she did make it from 20/70 to 20/40 in a month!
But of course as you probably already know from the hundreds of other progress reports here on the site, she’s going to keep making more vision improvement gains. 20/70 to 20/40 is a great start, 1.5 diopters or otherwise. Imagine if you can do that in just one month, where you could be a year from now!
The takeaway here is, consider the eye chart, and consider who is telling you what your “normal” eyesight is supposed to be. Think about profit motives, think about money changing hands, think about what it means when those people tell you about “genetic” myopia, and “incurable illness”, and all that other nonsense.
Well done, Stefanie!
Cheers,
-Jake
