How far can human vision be improved with lenses?

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I currently have 20/15 vision after laser eye surgery, which is clearer than 20/20. However when tested with optician lenses, certain lenses improved clarity. I understand 20/20 is not “perfect” vision, so how much can human vision be enhanced by lenses. Or is it just how telescopes and binoculars work.

In: Physics

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Acuity, the ability to observe details, is limited by the size of the sense cells in the eye. 20/15 is pretty close to that, for normal genetics. Some people have better acuity, but 20/12 is around the limit for even fighter pilot vision.

None of this has anything to do with telescopes or binoculars. Those lenses make the sense cells cover a smaller angular area. This makes objects seem closer and the field of view narrower. That’s not what the 20/20 people are measuring at all.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The latter. Any lens you add, even if you only gain 20/1, functionally is just a really tiny binocular.