In spite of having non-Lambertian emission, displays based on liquid crystal technology are becoming popular for medical diagnostic work stations. For all liquid crystal displays (LCDs), the contrast performance varies with viewing direction. Accurate measurements of the angular distribution of light emission require expensive instrumentation and extensive expertise. We investigated the possibility of using a test pattern to visually assess the angular response performance of LCDs. We found that this procedure offers the end user of displays a simple, fast, and relatively consistent technique to verify that the viewing angle performance of the display device is within certain acceptable limits.