Roger S Anderson FCOptom, Steven C Dakin and Nilpa Shah MCOptom

Visual acuity measurement continues to be a fundamental component of every eye examination. This paper reviews the development of acuity tests, from those used more than 1000 years ago to the Moorfields Acuity Chart of 2015 and the current “gold standard”. 

The authors identify the reasons for various remaining deficiencies and present recent, novel chart designs intended to address these weaknesses and achieve the ultimate goal of developing tests that are accurate, precise, sensitive and specific.