Online vision testing

1. An online vision testing method comprising:

establishing a communicative connection between a host computing system and a client computing device from over a computer communications network;

first distributing Web content from the host computing system to the client computing device, the Web content presenting an acuity test chart and receiving input indicating a line selection of the acuity test corresponding to a visual acuity value;

second distributing further Web content from the host computing system to the client computing device, the further Web content presenting an astigmatism clock chart of six intersecting sets of three lines of three different widths and of equal length, the sets of three lines intersecting at a midpoint of each of the sets of the three lines and radially separated equidistantly;

receiving a first selection in the additional Web content of one of the sets of three lines and third distributing yet further Web content presenting an astigmatism fan chart of thirty-six equidistantly arranged radii from a single vertex, the radii comprising a repeating sequence of lines of identical width to the selected one of the sets of three lines;

receiving a second selection in the yet further Web content of one of the radii and identifying a radial value for the second selection; and,

presenting an eyeglass prescription including the visual acuity value, a cylinder value and an axis value, the cylinder and axis values deriving from the first and second selections.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicative connection is established through a display of a Web page in a Web browser in the client computing device, the host computing system transmitting the Web page to the Web browser.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the Web page includes a selectable user interface control for a pre-stored prescription and in response to receiving a selection of the control, retrieving a pre-stored eyeglass prescription including a pre-stored visual acuity value, pre-stored cylinder value and pre-stored axis value in lieu of presenting the acuity chart and the astigmatism clock chart to derive the visual acuity value, cylinder value and axis value.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising presenting through the Web page, a video conferencing portal over which verbal directives are presented.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the verbal directives include directives for standing at a specified distance from the Web content.

6. An online vision testing method comprising:

establishing a communicative connection between a host computing system and a client computing device from over a computer communications network;

distributing Web content from the host computing system to the client computing device, the Web content comprising each of an acuity test chart and an astigmatism clock chart;

receiving in response to the distribution of the Web content, (A) a selection for the acuity test chart correlative to a distance between an end user viewing the acuity test chart and a display of the acuity test chart in the client computing device, and (B) a selection of a trio of lines of different widths in a set of lines defining one of twelve radially equidistant radii of equal length extending from a common vertex in the astigmatism clock chart;

generating and presenting in the Web content an astigmatism fan chart utilizing three of the trio of lines in the selection, the fan chart comprising twelve repeating sequences of three radially equidistant radii of different widths corresponding to the different widths of the utilized three of the trio of lines, each of the lines of the fan chart comprising an equal length and extending from a common vertex in the astigmatism fan chart;

receiving in response to the presentation of the fan chart, a selection of one of the radii; and,

computing and displaying in the client computing device an eyeglass prescription including the visual acuity value, a cylinder value and an axis value, the cylinder value deriving from the selected trio of lines in the clock chart, and the axis value deriving from the selected one of the radii in the fan chart.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the communicative connection is established through a display of a Web page in a Web browser in the client computing device, the host computing system transmitting the Web page to the Web browser.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the Web page includes a selectable user interface control for a pre-stored prescription and in response to receiving a selection of the control, retrieving a pre-stored eyeglass prescription including a pre-stored visual acuity value, pre-stored cylinder value and pre-stored axis value in lieu of presenting the acuity chart and the astigmatism clock chart to derive the visual acuity value, cylinder value and axis value.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising presenting through the Web page, a video conferencing portal over which verbal directives are presented.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the verbal directives include directives for standing at a specified distance from the Web content.

11. A vision testing data processing system comprising:

a host computing system comprising one or more computers, each with memory and at least one processor; and,

a remote vision testing module comprising computer program instructions enabled during execution in the host computing system to perform:

establishing a communicative connection between the host computing system and a client computing device from over a computer communications network;

first distributing Web content from the host computing system to the client computing device, the Web content presenting an acuity test chart and receiving input indicating a line selection of the acuity test corresponding to a visual acuity value;

second distributing further Web content from the host computing system to the client computing device, the further Web content presenting an astigmatism clock chart of six intersecting sets of three lines of three different widths and of equal length, the sets of three lines intersecting at a midpoint of each of the sets of the three lines and radially separated equidistantly;

receiving a first selection in the additional Web content of one of the sets of three lines and third distributing yet further Web content presenting an astigmatism fan chart of thirty-six equidistantly arranged radii from a single vertex, the radii comprising a repeating sequence of lines of identical width to the selected one of the sets of three lines;

receiving a second selection in the yet further Web content of one of the radii and identifying a radial value for the second selection; and,

presenting an eyeglass prescription including the visual acuity value, a cylinder value and an axis value, the cylinder and axis values deriving from the first and second selections.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the communicative connection is established through a display of a Web page in a Web browser in the client computing device, the host computing system transmitting the Web page to the Web browser.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the Web page includes a selectable user interface control for a pre-stored prescription and in response to receiving a selection of the control, retrieving a pre-stored eyeglass prescription including a pre-stored visual acuity value, pre-stored cylinder value and pre-stored axis value in lieu of presenting the acuity chart and the astigmatism clock chart to derive the visual acuity value, cylinder value and axis value.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising presenting through the Web page, a video conferencing portal over which verbal directives are presented.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the verbal directives include directives for standing at a specified distance from the Web content.