What is often used to determine visual acuity in clinical settings?

Visual acuity is a measure of the clarity or sharpness of vision, and it is commonly assessed using Snellen charts in clinical settings. These charts feature letters of varying sizes, allowing healthcare professionals to evaluate how well a patient can see at different distances. The Snellen chart is specifically designed to measure distance vision, with the patient asked to identify letters from a set distance, usually 20 feet. This standardized method provides reliable and objective results, making it a widely accepted tool in vision testing.

Visual exercises, optometric tests, and eye surgeries do not primarily serve the purpose of determining visual acuity. While visual exercises might help improve vision skills and optometric tests can include various assessments of eye health and functioning, they do not specifically focus on measuring visual acuity in the traditional sense. Eye surgeries are interventions rather than assessment tools. Thus, the Snellen chart remains the primary tool for assessing visual acuity in clinical practice.