For those of us not on the metric system, the term “20/20” is almost exclusively linked to the idea of perfect vision. If pressed, the majority of folks in these countries could probably give a vague explanation of the definition. In my case, I would say it means someone can make out an object from 20 feet that another person with ‘normal’ vision sees from that distance. For a more detailed explanation, I refer you to this site.
Like most everyone (outside ophthalmologists), this term is not something that I have ever given a second thought. But since I started to explore the various worldviews of past cultures, it has become more intriguing to me. Namely, why was the distance of 20 feet chosen, instead of, say, 10, or any other number. Knowing nothing, I figured it had a lot to do with the size of printed text, but still. So I did a little research and learned that the measurement was derived by Hermann Snellen in 1862. [Breaking it down much further would bore all of us half to death; but just in case, here’s the minutiae behind it.] In short, everything stems from his choice of basing the eye chart on a 5×5 grid.
Seems like a rational reason for being, so I don’t want to dismiss it. That said, in a universe dominated by numerical code, I reserve the right to hang onto the idea that 20/20 might mean something more than the number of feet someone stands from the world’s #1 selling poster. Moving forward, I’m operating off the premise that the definition of 20/20 might also refer to seeing the entire world around us perfectly, not just the objects or singular events themselves.
Which leads me to my next post…
PROPHECY 2020 