Eyesight numbers · 20/70 explained
What Does 20/70 Vision Mean?
20/70 means that at 20 feet you make out what a typical eye makes out from 70 feet away. It is mild on the overall scale — roughly a −1.25 to −1.75 glasses number — but it sits well below the line most US states want for driving, so it is the kind of result where glasses stop being optional for distance. Close-up is completely unaffected.
Your chart result
20/70
20/70 corresponds to roughly −1.25 to −1.75 bare-eyed, which is mild (the mild band runs −0.25 to −3.00). It is softer than the moderate or high ranges, where the sharp zone collapses to within arm's reach — at 20/70 the clear world still extends out to most of a room.
What 20/70 actually means
The practical signature of 20/70 is that distant faces go generic. Across a large room or a street, you read people by hair, build, and the way they move — the features themselves don't resolve until they come closer. Street signs and a whiteboard from the back row are real work. None of that touches the near world: a book, a phone, a plate in front of you stay perfectly sharp, the way nearsightedness always leaves close vision alone.
20/70 sometimes gets called a “low vision” number, and this is where wording matters. Some low-vision definitions do begin at 20/70 — but only when that is the best result lenses can produce. A bare-eyed 20/70 that corrects to 20/20 with a light pair of glasses is nothing of the kind; it is ordinary, easily-fixed nearsightedness. The label only means something if 20/70 is the ceiling with the best lenses on.
Compared with a heavier number, 20/70 is gentle: the glasses are thin, the world looks normal-sized through them, and plenty of people at this level slip them on only to drive or watch a far screen and take them off the rest of the time. It is a long way from the strong, glasses-from- waking numbers further down the scale.
See where any number lands
20/70is one point on the scale. The free interactive explainer takes any 20/xx chart result or glasses number and shows the clear distance, the mild-to-high band, and what “legally blind” does and doesn't mean — with the diagrams above and a side-by-side chart-to-glasses table.
Common questions
What does 20/70 vision mean?
At 20 feet you see what a typical eye sees from 70 feet. Distant faces read as shapes rather than features, and signs have to come fairly close before they resolve, while close-up vision stays sharp. It corresponds to roughly a −1.25 to −1.75 glasses number, and with glasses on almost everyone at 20/70 sees a full 20/20.
Is 20/70 vision bad?
It is mild on the overall scale, but it does sit below the 20/40 line most US states want for unrestricted driving — so it is usually the point where glasses become necessary for distance. Up close nothing changes, and lenses correct it fully. Mild, common, and easily handled.
Is 20/70 considered low vision or legally blind?
Some low-vision definitions start at 20/70, but only when that is the best you can manage with the strongest suitable glasses on. A bare-eyed 20/70 that corrects to 20/20 is ordinary nearsightedness, not low vision, and nowhere near legally blind — legal blindness needs corrected vision of 20/200 or worse.
Can you drive with 20/70 vision?
Not with the result measured this way — 20/70 is below the roughly 20/40 line states use. But that line refers to your vision with glasses or contacts on. Someone whose lenses bring them to 20/20 drives normally; the bare-eyed 20/70 just means the glasses need to be worn for distance.
What to do with your number
The full method is a structured 90-day program — proper lenses, measured progress, the things only experience can tune.
EndMyopia members work on lowering their glasses numbers step by step. The whole thing — your numbers explained, lens recommendations, daily habits, weekly check-ins — lives inside BackTo20/20. Full Program $1,188 $1 for 14 days, then $99/mo × 12 · lifetime access · money-back guarantee.
Full program USD 1,188 · $1 for 14 days · money-back guarantee
Or keep exploring with the free Eyeball Analyzer (20 minutes, your numbers, what they mean).
Limitations & disclaimer
EndMyopia treats myopia as a refractive state, not a medical condition. This is a free educational tool — not medical advice, diagnosis, or a substitute for a licensed optometrist. Measurements depend on camera quality and how carefully you mark the card edges; expect ±5–10 % on laptops, ±10–15 % on phones. For lens orders, eye health concerns, or any task requiring full 20/20 vision, see a licensed professional.