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Back to Basics
Testing Visual Acuity with the
Jaeger Eye Chart
The basics need to be read or lis-
tened to over and over. This is be-
cause some of us forget and others
of us never knew. This months au-
thor gives us a short, easy to read
article on understanding the use of
the Jaeger chart for testing visual
acuity. This may be a Play It
Again, Sam, scenario, but it is a
good Back to Basics for those
who have forgotten or those who
never knew.
Frank A. Iddings
Tutorial Projects Editor
Introduction
ll personnel certifying in nonde-
A structive testing (NDT) require an
eye examination. Over the years,
one of the standard reference charts has
been the Jaeger eye chart (Figure 1). How-
ever, when purchased, this chart does not
come with instructions. The following arti-
cle explains some of my findings on the
usage of the Jaeger eye chart.
Jaegar Eye Chart Specifications
NDT personnel who have had to use
multiple specifications have realized, over
the years, the degree of differences between
specifications when it comes to the certifi-
cation of personnel for visual acuity. NAS
410 (1996) recommends Near Vision
Jaeger #1 test chart at not less than 12 inch-
es or equivalent visual examination as de-
termined by medical personnel. SNT-TC-
1A recommends Jaeger Number 2 or
equivalent type and size letter at the dis-
tance designated on the chart but not less
* The Boeing Company, 2401 E. Wardlow Rd.,
Mail Code C1 054-0023, Long Beach, CA
90807; (562) 982-7073; fax (562) 593-9581;
e-mail <stanley.l.weatherly@boeing.com>.
928 Materials Evaluation/August 2002
From Materials Evaluation, Vol. 60, No. 8, pp: 928-929.
Copyright 2002 The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc.
by S.L. Weatherly*
than 12 inches (30.5 cm) on a standard
Jaeger test chart (ASNT, 2001). After dis-
cussions with other NDT personnel, I real-
ized that confusion exists with the interpre-
tation of these recommendations. The
following questions quickly became appar-
ent.
The Jaeger eye chart
measures near vision,
not distance vision.
Does the Jaeger eye test measure dis-
tance vision, near vision or both?
Does the Jaeger eye chart have to be
held at exactly 305 mm (12 in.) or is 508 mm
(20 in.) an extended arms length an
acceptable distance?
Why use Jaeger number one or number
two?
One would think that with multiple years
of experience in NDT, these questions
would be easy to answer, but even with re-
search the answers are not all that appar-
ent.
Jaeger and Snellen Eye Chart
Differences and Specifications
The Snellen eye chart is the eye chart
most of us have seen at the optometrists
office. This is the familiar chart with the big
E 20/200 at the top and progressively
smaller letters at the bottom of the chart
down to 20/20 or better. This is a chart for
measuring visual acuity at a distance in
other words, how well you can see things
that are far away.
The Jaeger eye chart is used for reading
up close and for determining your near vi-
sion, which is an important issue if you are
viewing X-ray film or looking for a crack in
a part held in your hands. When reviewing
the chart, you will see the notation J1 next
to the paragraph with the smallest text and
each progressive paragraph of larger text is
noted with an increase in the J number.
Also centered above each paragraph is a
number. The number 15 is centered above
the smallest text line noted as J1. This num-
ber represents 20/15 vision. J2 has the
number 20, for 20/20 vision. As you
progress to larger lettered paragraphs, the
lettering size increases for lesser visual acu-
ity.
When I took my eye exam, I could read
the 20/20 line on the Snellen chart without
glasses, but when I was handed the Jaeger
eye chart and told to hold it approximately
305 mm (12 in.) from my eyes and read the
J1 line, I could not read it. At about 406 mm
(16 in.), it became clearer and I could read
it. With reading glasses, it was readable at
305 mm (12 in.). This was like trying to read
the menu at a restaurant when you keep
moving the menu further and further
away. For those of you who are younger
technicians, if you dont know what Im
talking about, wait until you are about 40
or 50 years old and it will become appar-
ent. The Jaeger eye chart measures near vi-
sion, not distance vision.
The second part of the question is,
does the chart have to be held at exactly
305 mm (12 in.). Some specifications state
that the chart cant be held less than 305
mm (12 in.) away while other specifica-
tions state that 356 to 406 mm (14 to 16
in.) is acceptable. This seems to suggest
that it is acceptable to hold the chart 356
mm (14 in.) away. What if I have to move
it out to arms length? The standard ac-
cepted distance, although not stated on
the chart but accepted by the optometry
industry, is 305 to 356 mm (12 to 14 in.).
Addressing the third question, Jaeger
number one is a smaller text than Jaeger
number two and would be required de-
pending on the criticality of the testing to
be performed. As mentioned previously,
the J1 line is 20/15 vision, which is a visual
acuity that is better than the derived aver-
age of 20/20. It should be noted that this
more restrictive requirement might undu-
ly eliminate good inspectors. Therefore, I
925_943_19 7/10/02 1:13 PM Page 929
Figure 1 The Jaeger eye chart is commonly used to test near vision of NDT technicians.
would advise caution when reviewing vi-
sual acuity requirements or generating
new industry specifications.
Conclusion
Specifications that require J1 near vision
and 20/30 distance vision almost seem
contradictory. However, the inspector and
the person performing the eye examination
must understand that one part of the state-
ment is asking for near vision acuity and
the other part is used to determine distance
acuity.
As an NDT person, I currently have to
apply and use the various specifications to
the best of my ability, not as a medically
trained person but as one who has re-
searched the issue and has arrived at the
best possible understanding of the specifi-
cation to be applied. Yes, our industry may
be better served if we standardized the
type of chart to be used and were more spe-
cific regarding requirements such as the
distance at which to read the chart. Howev-
er, sometimes standardization leads to
more restrictions and increased cost. I think
that you can see the point from the discus-
sion above. You may technically pass the
test by holding the chart at some greater
distance but as a professional inspector, it
seems that you would want to provide the
best possible test by providing yourself
with the best possible vision.
References
ASNT, Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A,
The American Society for Nondestructive
Testing, 2001.
NAS 410, MIL-STD-410E NAS Certification &
Qualification of Nondestructive Test Personnel,
Aerospace Industries Association of America,
Inc., Washington, DC, 1996.
Materials Evaluation/August 2002 929