If a patient misses two letters on the 20/30 acuity line, how should their acuity be recorded?

When assessing visual acuity, the notation reflects how many letters a patient misses on a particular line of the eye chart. The standard method involves recording the acuity based on the line the patient can correctly read, along with the number of letters missed.

In this case, if the patient misses two letters on the 20/30 acuity line, it should be recorded as 20/30-2. The "20/30" represents that the patient can see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision can see at 30 feet. The "-2" indicates that the patient did not correctly identify two letters on that line. This notation is useful for providing a more nuanced view of the patient's vision, allowing for a greater understanding of their vision capabilities.

Thus, by specifying both the acuity line and the number of letters missed, the recording effectively communicates the patient's visual status to others in the healthcare field.