
What Are Optotypes? (2015) - rcarmo
https://ilovetypography.com/2015/07/12/what-are-optotypes-eye-charts-fonts/
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dhosek
It's worth noting that with Optotypes, the goal of having clear and
unambiguous letters is inverted. The aperture of C, for example is much
narrower than the comparable types because the objective is to see if the
viewer's eye is able to distinguish the closed-aperture C from O.

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LeonB
I have a personal trainer called Dave, and when talking one day he mentioned
that his mum invented a very popular eye chart. I looked into it further, and
yeh, his mum, "Jan E Lovie-Kitchin" is the one mentioned here, she co-invented
the "Bailey-Lovie Chart" though I don't think it's as commonly used now.
Pretty cool contribution though.

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martopix
I distinctly remember being tested with the Tumbling E chart when I was 6.
Public school checked the eyesight of all first-graders, who can't all read
proficiently.

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legerdemain
Pretty amazing how a typical visit to an optometrist hasn't changed much in
decades or even a century: Snellen eye charts from the 1860s, modern
phoropters from the 1920s, widely used tonometers from the 1950s. A branch of
medicine can afford to stand still if we collectively resign ourselves to
buying a new assistive device every year or two.

