visual acuity

American  

noun

Ophthalmology.

1. acuteness of the vision as determined by a comparison with the normal ability to define certain letters at a given distance, usually 20 feet (6 meters). V.

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Etymology

Origin of visual acuity

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

FDA documents describe it as a prescription device intended to improve visual acuity in patients with certain forms of dry AMD and without center involving geographic atrophy or neovascular maculopathy.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

Volunteers using the lenses also reported noticeable improvements in visual acuity at a variety of distances and lighting conditions.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024

Like the hugely successful early 20th century L.A. landscape painter Granville Redmond, who was also deaf, Castle is sometimes claimed to have compensated for his hearing loss through an increased power in visual acuity.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2023

He had taken a blind person on a similar trip once before - but, because every non-sighted person has varying levels of visual acuity, we still needed to get to know each other.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2022

Even if they’re looking at the road, he’d found, their visual acuity was impaired by the cognitive demand of the phone.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel