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Understanding your Prescription

Reading your prescription can be a little intimidating, so that’s why we put together a short and simple tutorial guide to help you understand your prescription.


Typical eyeglasses prescription can look something like this:

Prescription-2

Typically these are the only numbers we require from you in order to make your glasses, in the most basic form.

 

What do these terms mean?

  • OD - Right eye
  • OS - Left eye
  • OU - Both eye

 

SPH (Sphere)

 
  • The power required to correct your nearsightedness or farsightedness.

  • (+) sign in front of the numbers means you are farsighted, you can see objects far away clear, but objects near you are blurry

  • (-) sign in front of the numbers means you are nearsighted, you can see near objects clearly, but objects far away are blurry

  • It is very important to indicate whether the numbers are (+) or (-).

  • If the words “Plano” or “PL” appear in this section, it simply means there is no distance correction and is the same as 0.00.

  • Examples of sphere numbers on your prescription and what to fill in:

 

-25 or - 0.25, select - 0.25 in the column

-100 or - 1.00, select - 1.00 in the column

+200 or + 2.00, select + 2.00 in the column

 

*Please note: sphere numbers greater than +4.00/- 8.00 will incur additional $10 charge, sphere numbers greater than +10.00/-10.00 will incur additional $25 charge.

 



CYL (Cylinder)


  • The power required to correct your astigmatism.

  • It is very important to indicate whether the numbers are (+) or (-).

  • If the words “SPH” or “DS” appear in this section, it simply means there is no astigmatism correction and is the same as 0.00.

  • Examples of cylinder numbers on your prescription and what to fill in:


-25 or - 0.25, select - 0.25 in the column

-100 or - 1.00, select - 1.00 in the column

+200 or + 2.00, select + 2.00 in the column

 

*Please note: cylinder numbers greater than +/- 2.00 will incur additional $10 charge.

**Please contact us if your cylinder number is higher than +/-6.00

 



AXIS


  • The direction used to correct the cylinder power, ranging from 1-180 degrees.
  • Axis is directly linked to CYL.
    • If there is a CYL number present, then you must have an AXIS number.
    • If there is no CYL number present, then there will be no AXIS number.
  • Examples of axis numbers and what to fill in:

005 or 5, select the number 5 in the AXIS column

098 or 98, select the number 98 in the AXIS column

166, select the number 166 in the AXIS column



ADD


  • ADD stands for the additional magnifying power that you need for reading. This number is only used for single vision reading, bifocal and progressive glasses.
  • If you only need glasses to see far away and not for reading, you may not need or have this number on your prescription.
  • The ADD number is the same for both eyes.


PD (Pupillary Distance)


  • Pupillary Distance measures the distance between the center of your two pupils.
  • This number lets us know where the main focus point needs to be for your glasses.
  • It typically ranges from 58-70 mm for an average adult (measured in millimeters)
  • It is measured in millimeters.


PRISM


  • Prism in eyeglasses is used for correction of the following: positional, convergence and double vision.
  • Prism correction will require:
    • - Prism Correction Power which ranges from +0.25 to +4.00
    • Base Direction which can be one of the following: In, Out, Up, Down:

  • Examples of Base Direction and what to fill in:

    • BI or IN, choose IN
    • BO or OUT, choose OUT
    • BU or UP, choose UP
    • BD or DOWN, choose DOWN