Courtesy of CooperVision
How students see with different levels of myopia.For reference, nearsightedness (myopia) is measured in negative diopter prescription power, while farsightedness (hyperopia) is measured in positive prescription power. The further away from 0.00 — perfect vision — you are, the worse your eyesight … and it’s possible to get very, very far.
- -10.00 myopia
10th place for 10.00. Having this prescription means you see things at 20 feet the same way others can see at 1,000 feet (that’s three football fields of distance!). At least when Ms. Cahatol passes your buffers test back, you’ll be too blind to see the 47.5% you received.
- Legally blind
Legally blind means having around -2.50 vision even after correction, or less than 20 degrees of vision on both sides. There aren’t any upsides to this condition, of course, but it’s a reminder of how lucky people are to have sight, even if it’s imperfect and in need of correction.
- -8.00 myopia
This is unironically my mom’s prescription without glasses or contact lenses. It’s a miracle she recognizes me.
- +2.00 hyperopia
Far-sightedness is less convenient than near-sightedness. After all, who needs to see past the cell phone 10 inches from your face?
- -6.00 myopia
Knowing people drive with eyesight this bad scares me.
- -3.00 myopia
Just bad enough that it’s hard to see the classroom whiteboard, even when you squint and pull your eyelids to the side (the classic trick for sharpening your vision). Bad for days when you forget your glasses or contacts.
- +10.00 hyperopia
Being that far-sighted seems fun; it’s like having a built-in telescope.
- 0.00 perfect vision
There’s no fun in being normal, but having perfect vision will save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.
- 0.00 with astigmatism
When every bright light is decorated with a streak or halo, Christmas is so much prettier.
- -1.50 myopia
-1.50 is good enough that you can still see the class whiteboard unless you sit in the back, and you can use your myopia as an excuse for anything (“Sorry I forgot your name! I wasn’t wearing glasses last time, so I couldn’t see your face clearly”). Plus, who doesn’t love customizing your character with colorful spectacles?
