How Do You Ask About Someone's Eyesight?

Most common:

Q: How bad is your eyesight?
A: Pretty bad. I know it's you only because I recognize your voice.

I don't know any technical ones.

Mister MicawberMost common:Q: How bad is your eyesight?A: Pretty bad. I know it's you only because I recognize your voice.I don't know any technical ones.

Lol That's a good one!

But, in English speaking countries, don't people use numbers, as a measurement, such as +1.0 or -1.5...etc, to be more specific? Coz "pretty bad" sounds pretty blurry to me.

In my country, near-sightedness is so common that it's usual to ask people how bad their eyesight is. And when asked, we repond with numbers to be specific.

No, we don't have such bad eyesight as you do, I guess. Anyway, I don't know any numbers except 20/20.

What is your vision?

Also you can ask the following questions instead.

How strong are your glasses?

What is the power of your glasses?

What is the strength of your glasses?

Mister MicawberNo, we don't have such bad eyesight as you do, I guess. Anyway, I don't know any numbers except 20/20.

And what does 20/20 mean? How do you use it in a statement?

Thanks

I'd be very surprised if most Americans could translate a prescription for eyeglasses to a sense of how bad the person's vision is.

20/20 is perfect vision. I personally an 20/400. I'd be legally blind, except that with my contacts, I see 20/20. That means that someone with perfect vision standing 400 feet from something sees with the clarity that I see at 20. At least, that's how it was explained to me once.

If you ask someone "what's your vision" here, you'll hear "Oh, 20/150, but I'm 20/20 with my contacts in" or something like that.

It would be an usual question, though.

Grammar GeekI'd be very surprised if most Americans could translate a prescription for eyeglasses to a sense of how bad the person's vision is.20/20 is perfect vision. I personally an 20/400. I'd be legally blind, except that with my contacts, I see 20/20. That means that someone with perfect vision standing 400 feet from something sees with the clarity that I see at 20. At least, that's how it was explained to me once. If you ask someone "what's your vision" here, you'll hear "Oh, 20/150, but I'm 20/20 with my contacts in" or something like that.It would be an usual question, though.

Thanks loads Grammar Geek!

So native speakers do ask this kind of questions then? What kinds of questions may elicit answers like "I'm 20/20."? I've done some search on google and found a few ways of asking this. Can you verify if they are authentic English?

1. What's your vision? (obviously this is genuine English because you used it)

2. What's (How's) your eyesight?

3. What's your eye prescription?

4. What's your eyeglass prescription?

5. What's the power (strength) of your glasses? (Thanks, Sandy Ho, for your reply! )

Are there more ways of asking this?

Also I came across the words "myopia" and "diopter" while doing my search. In what contexts are those words used?

When I answer to questions like "What's your vision?", can I say:

1. It's 20/20 in my left (eye) and 20/40 in my right.

2. My left eye is 20/20 and my right is 20/40.

Are there more ways of answering this?

I'm sorry that I've asked an awful lot of questions. I really want to get to the bottom of this and I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to answer those questions.

Hi,

I wear glasses to read.

If you asked me what my prescription was, I couldn't tell you. I'd have to put on my glasses and find it.

Clive