[1] Eye charts are often used by health care professionals, such as optometrists, physicians and nurses, to screen persons for vision impairment.

Although it slowly became clear which procedures benefitted patients, there was no uniform test to document impairment and improvement in someone's vision.

[4] To measure visual acuity, in 1835 German ophthalmologist, Heinrich Küchler, made the first eye chart consisting of pictures of objects of decreasing size that patients were to identify.

[3] In 1854, Austrian ophthalmologist, Eduard Jaeger created a chart comprising paragraphs with decreasing font sizes to test near vision acuity.

[5] In 1862, the then most effective and popular chart to test visual acuity was published by Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen.

[7][8] Because of Donders' fame and Snellen's natural talent towards the field of ophthalmology, many doctors were enticed to visit in order to share ideas with them in Utrecht.

[9] Snellen's eye chart became the first of its type, hence it being the most scientifically reliable design in order to test vision distance in that time period.

[10] Snellen's eye chart opened the door to testing visual acuity, hence it became the global standard.

Even Japanese ophthalmologist Ema Tenko, who studied under Snellen, created an eye chart that was used in Japan.

As a consequence of these improvements, the logMAR chart has been proposed as a more reliable tool for measuring visual acuity.

Others are printed with the block letter "E" turned in different orientations, the so-called Tumbling E. The patient simply indicates which direction each "E" is facing.

The Landolt C chart is similar: rows have circles with different segments missing, and the test-taker describes where each broken piece is located.

[19] Parents and caregivers may test their child's eyesight from home to identify potential vision problems that require an eye care professional.

[20][21] Computer-based alternatives to the eye chart have been developed, but are not very common prior to smart phones with high display resolution and DPI becoming popular.

Computer-based alternatives to traditional eye charts also incorporate innovative technologies that enhance testing accuracy.