Test your vision with this printable eye chart

What is a printable eye chart?

A printable eye chart is a paper vision test you can print and use at home. It’s designed to check how clearly you can read letters from a set distance and is similar to the eye charts eye doctors use during eye exams.

Printable eye test charts usually use rows of letters or symbols that get smaller as you move down the page. The rows help measure your visual acuity, which means the sharpness of your vision.

“Normal” visual acuity means you can see clearly at a set distance. Below-normal visual acuity means your vision is blurry, and you may need glasses, contact lenses, or other treatment.

Some people who are visually impaired will still have blurry vision while they’re wearing corrective lenses.

Two examples of eye charts that can be printed at home or used in an eye doctor’s office.

Do printable vision charts actually work?

Yes, if you follow the directions carefully, these printable eye charts should give you a good estimate of your visual acuity. They can also help you look for vision changes over time.

However, eye charts only test one part of your vision, and they don’t check your eye health at all. Don’t forget to schedule routine eye exams with an eye doctor so they can check your vision and eye health.

Printable Snellen eye chart

The Snellen eye chart is the most common vision test. Not only is it used in eye doctors’ offices but also in places like schools and driver’s license offices.

It’s often used to check your distance vision, which can be affected by common conditions, such as:

• Nearsightedness (myopia)
• Farsightedness (hyperopia)
• Astigmatism

Snellen tests can vary, but they usually include:

• A top row with only one large capital letter (often the letter “E”)
• Several rows of capital letters that get smaller as you move down the chart

To use this version of the Snellen eye chart at home, you’ll need to place the printed chart 10 feet away at eye level. Gently cover one eye, and read the rows of letters out loud from top to bottom.

If possible, ask someone to monitor the chart so they can tell you if you miss more than half the letters in a single row. The measurement listed in the row above tells you your estimated visual acuity.

Then, repeat these steps with the other eye covered.

DOWNLOAD: Printable Snellen eye chart (PDF)

Other printable vision charts

While the standard Snellen test is most common, there are also other ways to test your vision. Two of them are:

Tumbling E eye chart

The tumbling E eye chart is a variation of the Snellen chart for people who aren’t able to use the standard version. This can include children or adults who don’t recognize the different letters.

On the tumbling E chart, every letter is an “E” that’s turned right, left, up or down. Starting with the top row, you’ll point to show which direction each E is facing, and then move down the chart until the letters get too small to see clearly.

DOWNLOAD: Printable tumbling E eye chart (PDF)

Jaeger eye chart

The Jaeger (or Jäger) eye chart is used to test your near vision instead. The results can help show how well you can read up close.

It’s often used to test for symptoms of presbyopia, a natural eye change that makes it harder to see up close as you age.

Unlike the other two tests, the Jaeger chart:

• Is held in your hand and read with both eyes open.
• Includes paragraphs of words instead of single letters.

To use this eye chart, you’ll hold the printed paper about 14 inches from your face and read the smallest line you can without squinting.

The smallest paragraph (J1) is usually considered “normal” near vision. If you can only comfortably read J2 or higher, prescription eyeglasses or reading glasses may be able to help you read more easily.

DOWNLOAD: Printable Jaeger eye chart (PDF)

What do your vision test results mean?

When you read the eye chart, your results are shown as a fraction. This is your estimated visual acuity measurement.

The first number, which is always “20” on this chart, represents the distance you stand from the chart, and the second number shows the distance at which someone with normal vision could read the same row.

The letters on your printed eye chart are carefully sized so you only need to stand 10 feet away. This is designed to give similar results to the standard 20-foot test used in an eye doctor’s office.

You can try testing your vision with and without your glasses or contacts on if you wear them. These two measurements are your best corrected visual acuity (wearing lenses) and uncorrected visual acuity (not wearing lenses).

Understanding the measurements

You’ll see many visual acuity measurements listed on the eye chart. Here’s what some of them mean:

• 20/20 – 20/20 vision is normal visual acuity for adults and older children. It means that you can see things at 20 feet as clearly as someone with normal vision could if they were also standing 20 feet away.
• 20/40 – You can see things clearly at 20 feet that a person with normal vision could see from 40 feet away. This means vision is blurry. 20/40 vision (with glasses or contacts if needed) is the minimum to get a driver’s license in most U.S. states.
• 20/100 – You can see things clearly at 20 feet that someone with normal vision could see from 100 feet away. This means vision is very blurry.
• 20/200 – You can see things clearly at 20 feet that someone with normal vision could see from 200 feet away. In the U.S., people who have 20/200 vision or worse with glasses or contacts are considered legally blind.

A printable eye chart can’t replace an eye exam

Printable eye test charts can be a helpful way to check your vision at home and watch for certain changes over time, but they only measure how well you see at a set distance. They do not check for:

• Changes in your peripheral (side) vision
• Eye pressure changes
• How well your eyes work together
• Eye diseases, like glaucoma or macular degeneration
• Eye health issues, such as infections, injury or inflammation
• Eye-related signs of diseases in other parts of your body

An eye doctor can check all of these during a comprehensive eye exam and prescribe glasses or contact lenses if you need them.