Every so often someone finishes reading our eye chart, gets told they’re 20/13, and asks the same thing: “Wait, is that good?” It is. It means you see a little more sharply than most people. Here’s what the number actually means, how it stacks up against 20/20 and 20/10, how common it is, and the one thing it doesn’t tell you about your eyes.
What does 20/13 vision mean?
20/13 vision means you can read from 20 feet away what a person with standard 20/20 vision can only read from 13 feet. The smaller that second number, the sharper your eyesight. So 20/13 is better than 20/20, and it’s measured on the same chart we use for everyone.
The two numbers aren’t a fraction and they’re not a score out of anything. The first one is simply the testing distance, 20 feet in the US. The second is how close a person with typical vision would have to stand to read the same line you just read. If that’s 13 feet, your eyes are picking up detail that most people would need to be seven feet closer to see.
One thing worth saying early: the chart only measures how crisply you see dark letters on a bright background, far away. It says nothing about reading up close, colour, peripheral vision, eye pressure or the health of your retina. A 20/13 result is good news. It’s not a clean bill of health.
Is 20/13 vision better than 20/20?
Yes. 20/13 is sharper than 20/20. Someone with 20/13 vision sees detail at 20 feet that a 20/20 person would need to walk up to 13 feet to make out. It isn’t a condition, it doesn’t need treatment, and there’s nothing to “fix”. A regular eye exam still matters, just for different reasons.
In everyday life the difference is real but small. You’ll read the freeway sign a beat earlier than the person next to you, and you might spot the score on the far side of the stadium before your friends do. Nobody with 20/20 is missing anything important. Think of 20/13 as a nice bonus rather than a different class of eyesight.
How rare is 20/13 vision?
Less common than 20/20, but not unusual. We see 20/15 and 20/13 results fairly regularly, mostly in younger adults with no prescription and healthy eyes. It gets rarer with age, because the lens and retina naturally change, but plenty of people keep excellent corrected vision well into later life.
Acuity is partly what you were born with and partly how healthy your eyes are today. People in their twenties and thirties with no refractive error are the group most likely to read past the 20/20 line. After the mid-forties, presbyopia (the near-focus change everyone gets) and, later, early cataract make results above 20/20 harder to come by, though a good prescription can still get you to 20/20 or better.
20/10, 20/13, 20/15 and 20/20 side by side
| Result | What it means | How common it is |
|---|---|---|
| 20/10 | You see at 20 ft what typical vision sees at 10 ft. This is close to the limit of what a human retina can resolve. | Rare |
| 20/13 | You see at 20 ft what typical vision sees at 13 ft. | Uncommon; mostly younger adults with healthy eyes |
| 20/15 | You see at 20 ft what typical vision sees at 15 ft. | Fairly common in healthy eyes |
| 20/20 | Normal, average acuity. The target for most glasses and contact lens prescriptions. | The most common corrected result |
| 20/40 | You see at 20 ft what typical vision sees at 40 ft. The usual minimum for an unrestricted California driver’s licence. | Common without correction |
On the chart, each of these is roughly one line apart. Going from 20/20 to 20/13 means reading one or two more of the tiny lines at the bottom, which is why the gap feels small once you leave the exam room.
So what does 20/20 vision mean?
20/20 is the benchmark for normal distance vision: you read at 20 feet what a healthy eye is expected to read at 20 feet. A Dutch eye doctor named Herman Snellen designed the chart in the 1860s, and his standard has stuck. It’s still the target we aim for when we make your glasses.
Normal isn’t the same as perfect, though. You can be 20/20 and still have astigmatism that makes your eyes tired by mid-afternoon, or struggle to focus on a menu, or have dry eyes, or have the very early stages of an eye disease that hasn’t touched your sharpness yet.
How is vision actually tested?
The part everyone knows is the chart, either printed or projected across the room. You read smaller and smaller lines, one eye at a time, and the last line you get right is your result. If you already wear glasses, we test with and without them.
A full exam goes a lot further than that. Refraction, the “better one or better two?” part, finds the exact lens power that gives you your sharpest vision. Then we check eye pressure, how your eyes move and work together, and look at the front and back of each eye for anything the chart can’t show. A quick chart read at school or the DMV is a screening, not an exam, and the difference matters. We’ve written up the difference between an eye exam and a vision screening if you want the details.
Is 20/20 vision perfect?
No. It’s normal. Better than 20/20 exists, as you’ve just read, and plenty of people with 20/20 vision still need help with reading, glare, contrast or comfort. Perfect vision would also mean healthy eyes, full peripheral vision and good depth perception, and the chart measures none of those.
That’s why we treat 20/20 as a starting line. Getting you there with the right prescription is the easy part. Keeping your eyes healthy enough to stay there is what the yearly exam is for.
Why the number matters, even if yours is good
Most people who fall short of 20/20 have a refractive error: nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or age-related presbyopia. All four are corrected with glasses or contacts, and most people land at 20/20 or better once they’re wearing the right lenses.
The result to pay attention to is one that can’t be corrected to 20/20. That can point to amblyopia (lazy eye), cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma or diabetic changes at the back of the eye. Catching a drop in best-corrected vision early is one of the main reasons we recommend an exam every year, including for people who feel they see perfectly well.
Can glasses or contacts get you to 20/13?
Sometimes. If your eyes are healthy, a precisely measured prescription can take you to 20/15 or better. What gets in the way is usually small: a prescription that’s a few years old, a tiny uncorrected astigmatism, or lenses that weren’t made accurately. A refraction during an eye exam will show you how sharp your corrected vision can be.
Three things make the biggest difference. An up-to-date prescription measured properly. Lenses cut to that prescription in a good lab. And an anti-reflective coating so glare isn’t stealing the sharpness you’ve paid for. Most pairs are made in our own lab within the hour, and if you’re wondering what an eye exam costs and what’s included, we’ve laid it out.
Frequently asked questions
What does 20/13 vision mean?
You see at 20 feet what a person with 20/20 vision sees at 13 feet. It’s sharper than average.
Is 20/13 vision good?
Yes. It’s better than 20/20 and counts as excellent visual acuity.
Is 20/13 vision rare?
It’s less common than 20/20 but shows up regularly in young, healthy eyes.
Is 20/13 better than 20/10?
No. 20/10 is sharper still. The lower the second number, the better.
Is 20/20 vision perfect?
No. 20/20 is normal, average acuity, not the best possible.
Can I get 20/13 vision with glasses?
Possibly, if your eyes are healthy and your prescription is exact. An eye exam will tell you.
Curious what your own number is?
Come read the chart with us. Independent doctors of optometry are right next door to every Eyeglass Factory store, and most insurance is accepted.
Santa Barbara: 1 S Milpas St. Call or text 805-965-9000.
Ventura: Call or text 805-642-2222.
Camarillo: Call or text 805-987-8600.
Buy any complete pair and the second pair is free. Most prescriptions are made in our in-store lab in about an hour, and we accept most insurance, including MES and Cottage Health Systems.
Schedule your eye exam online, or just walk in.
