Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes • Hacker News Board

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#11

Post by abtinf » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:20 PM UTC

cbm-vic-20 wrote: post #5

That main image makes my astigmatic eyes very unhappy. https://optician-sans.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Comp-3....

Why did they animate it to add a blur?

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#12

Post by jamesdwilson » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:33 PM UTC

its-summertime wrote: post #9

that C is annoyingly O-ish, and the blurring... feels almost like its made by an anti-optician

it was derived from eye charts that are explicitly designed to find defects in your eyes - it is not a coincidence the O and C look similar.

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#13

Post by sandbach » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:35 PM UTC

Always amusing to see spelling errors on painstakingly put together design websites. Unless NRK did indeed mean 'Let us all behave like opticians!'

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#14

Post by GuinansEyebrows » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 6:53 PM UTC

abtinf wrote: post #11

cbm-vic-20 wrote: post #5

That main image makes my astigmatic eyes very unhappy. https://optician-sans.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Comp-3....

Why did they animate it to add a blur?

probably to evoke the feeling of undergoing an eye exam.

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#15

Post by jantissler » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 7:13 PM UTC

jamesdwilson wrote: post #12

its-summertime wrote: post #9

that C is annoyingly O-ish, and the blurring... feels almost like its made by an anti-optician

it was derived from eye charts that are explicitly designed to find defects in your eyes - it is not a coincidence the O and C look similar.

And there are also alternative versions of many letters as shown further down on the page.

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#16

Post by stevetron » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 7:24 PM UTC

My default blank document Font settings in MSWord is Liberation Sans, Bold, 14 px.

But my cataract problem is getting worse, and I may have to bump the size up yet again. I have yet to find another font I like as well.

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#17

Post by atonse » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 7:26 PM UTC

abtinf wrote: post #11

cbm-vic-20 wrote: post #5

That main image makes my astigmatic eyes very unhappy. https://optician-sans.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Comp-3....

Why did they animate it to add a blur?

OMG I kept thinking my glasses (progressive lenses) were causing that. I didn't realize it was animating.

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#18

Post by dylan604 » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 7:30 PM UTC

GuinansEyebrows wrote: post #14

abtinf wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did they animate it to add a blur?

probably to evoke the feeling of undergoing an eye exam.

I can hear the tech asking "number 1 or number 2"

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#19

Post by dylan604 » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 7:33 PM UTC

gadders wrote: post #6

Nice font. Could have done without the dude's tinder profile pic though.

You know you swiped right.

I had the same odd sentiment about the use of the images as well. It does nothing for me about wanting to use the font.

Re: Optician Sans – A free font based on historical eye charts and optotypes

#20

Post by egypturnash » Wed, Jul 30, 2025, 7:53 PM UTC

I like how one of the testimonials is someone at Adobe basically quoting the copy at the top of the page.

"OPTICIAN SANS: A free font based on the historical eye charts and optotypes used by opticians world wide." - top copy

“A free typeface based on opticians’ eye charts” -Khoi Vinh, Principal designer, Adobe