Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 July 13

= July 13 =

Line of sight
An activity book for students of Portuguese has a picture of a patient sitting at a table opposite his optician. One of those letter boards for testing eyesight is visible on the wall. The lines run:


 * E  1
 * F P 2
 * - O Z 3
 * - E D 4
 * - C F D 5
 * - F C Z P 6
 * <--- green bar --->
 * - E L O P Z D 7
 * - E F P O T E O 8
 * <--- red bar --->

There are eleven lines in all, of which the last three are indistinct. Lines 6 - 8 were deciphered using a magnifying glass. I don't think this arrangement is used in Britain. Is there a theory behind the way the letters are arranged, and does the arrangement vary from country to country according to language? The picture is captioned thus:


 * - Estou a ver que o senhor precisa de óculos.
 * - Como sabe isso antes de me examinar, senhor doutor?
 * - Desconfiei quando o vi entrar pela janela.


 * (- I am seeing that you need glasses.
 * - How do you know this before examining me, mister doctor?
 * - I was doubtful when I saw you enter through the window).

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.30.198.76 (talk) 10:37, 13 July 2020 (UTC)


 * Nice way to sneak that cute joke in. :) You could start with Snellen chart to learn more. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 11:07, 13 July 2020 (UTC)