Vision vs. Eyesight: What’s the Difference?

The terms “vision” and “eyesight” are often used interchangeably, but as eye doctors and other professionals know, though these words are connected, they don’t necessarily have the same meaning.

This post discusses the difference between vision and eyesight.

Eyesight

Eyesight refers to a person’s ability to see. More specifically, it’s a person’s ability to see without the use of appliances like glasses or contacts. Not all people share the same clarity of eyesight. Some are genetically more disposed to see more clearly than others. But a person’s eyesight can change over time depending on their health as well as on environmental factors.

Vision

While eyesight happens primarily in the eye, vision happens in the brain. Vision is the brain’s ability to process the information coming from the eyes. When the eyes pick up an image, a quick process begins for that image to be translated and understood by the brain. With enough practice, vision can improve.

20/20 Eyesight

As most activities demand the use of eyesight and vision, it’s important for you to take care of your eyes. When someone says 20/20 vision, what they are actually referring to is 20/20 eyesight. This means the eyes can correctly see an image 20 feet away without the benefit of corrective lenses, such as prescription eyeglasses and contacts.

If you can’t see the image clearly from 20 feet away, you don’t have 20/20 vision. The most common way to deal with this is to get prescription glasses or contact lenses. There are also other corrective measures, including ortho-k. This involves wearing special reshaping contact lenses while sleeping. These lenses reshape the cornea so you can see clearly all day. 

However, before using any corrective lenses, it’s best to get in touch with a professional. Some conditions that may affect eyesight are not isolated in the eyes. Conditions like type 2 diabetes should be treated by a doctor.

For better eyesight, visit Insight Vision Center. We offer optometry services, including orthokeratology. Call us today at (714) 486-3315, or use this form to schedule an appointment. We work with patients in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, CA.