Refraction
The term refraction means to bend light. Your optometrist will use several methods to bend or change the direction of light coming from a distant object, to focus accurately on the retina by introducing different lenses before your eyes. When this is achieved, vision will be clearest. This results in the prescription for your spectacles or contact lenses. Refraction can only be accurate if the letter chart is at least 6 meters or 20 feet away from the patient. Any shorter, and the accuracy drops. To save space, most practitioners will use a mirror to double the distance.