Objective To explore the scientific and clinical value of changing the distance to test visual acuity. Methods A total of 76 patients (152 eyes) at Eye Center, Tianjin Medical University were tested at distances of 5 m and 2.5 m. Both visual acuity and testing time at different distances were recorded. The visual acuity that was obtained at the 5 m distance was recorded as such, while the visual acuity obtained at the 2.5 m distance, adjusted for distance, was recorded as such. The test used a 5-point recording method. The t test and ANOVA test was used. Results There was no significant difference in visual acuity at distances of 5 m and 2.5 m (t=-1.960,P=0.052). In addition, changing the distance saved time when testing visual acuity (t=20.628, P＜0.05). There were significant differences in the visual acuity differences between 5 m and 2.5 m for the three age groups (F=11.93, P＜0.05). The difference for the ≤14 years old age group was larger than that for the -60 years old age group (P＜0.05) and the ＞60 years old age group (P＜0.05).Conclusion The same visual acuity can be obtained by changing the distance and what's more, it saves time. It is feasible to change the distance to test visual acuity in clinical work.