The eye 2 eye Guide to your Prescription

In this section of our site, we are going to attempt to explain a little more about your
prescription, so that you can have a better idea about the prescription your optician has given
you. So here it is, the Eye 2 Eye Guide to Your Prescription:

The Eye Examination

To understand the prescription, you firstly need to understand a little more about the actual eye
examination, and the processes the optician uses to reach the prescription, without blinding you with
the science.

A sight examination is a very complicated process, and the opticians primary objective is to check that
your eyes are healthy, so while conducting the test, the optician is always checking for numerous
symptoms and physical anomalies within the eye, that can indicate numerous problems (some related
to your vision like glaucoma or cataracts, and some which are not directly related to the eye, but
which can be detected during the test, like diabetes or highblood pressure).However, in this
explanation, we are going to skip over these health checks, as they are can be quite technical and
difficult to explain.

Find your actual prescription can be simplified and explained in three steps, so that is what we will
attempt to do here.

The first step.

After sitting you down and asking you a few questions, the optician will usually examine your eyes
with an instrument called an opthalmascope. This is the hand held instrument that shines a light into
your eyes. This is the first and primary step in finding your prescription.

The optician uses the opthalmascope to check for various eye conditions and the health of the eye as
described above, but he also uses this instrument to initially assess your prescription.

The opthalmascope is a very clever device with a series of adjustable lenses. The optician looks
through the opthalmascope and adjusts the internal lenses within the opthalmascope until he can
bring the back of your eye into focus. In order to do this the optician has too use the opthalmascope to
"compensate" for any focal imperfections within the eye.

The image that the optician is looking at is the back of your eye, and if it is out of focus, the optician is
simply using the opthalmascope to bring it back into focus. The lens power within the opthalmascope
that he must use to do this gives him a general idea of the prescription required to correct your vision.

The Second Step.

The second step involves the reading chart. This is when the optician asks you to read letters from
the chart, one eye at a time. There is a very good reason for this. When you use both eyes together,
the human brain is very good at compensating for your prescription, so for example if one eye is
better at seeing things at a close distance and the other eye prefers thing further away, your brain will
usually compensate by using the best eye for the job.

The optician will ask you to read from the chart, one eye at a time, and then he will place lenses in
front of your eyes, and ask you whether your vision seems better or worse. Although the optician
already has a good idea of your prescription, he has to make sure that his initial tests are accurate.
When the optician is satisfied that you can see accurately through each eye with the prescription he
has found, he will move on to step three.

The Third Step.

Now that the optician know the exact prescription for each eye, he will test both eyes at once. Again
there is a very good reason for this. The optician knows that just because he has put the exact
clinically perfect prescription in front of a patients eyes, the patient may not be able to cope with that
exact prescription.

As your prescription has slowly changed, your brain has told the muscles within the eye to stretch and
flex to compensate for these changes, and simply putting these lenses in front of the eye, will not
necessarily stop this compensation. This can cause problems for the patient, so the optician will take
into account your previous prescription, and may choose to modify the prescription slightly - in order
to prevent possible adaption problems.

The optician will test both eyes using lenses and the chart, and when he is happy that these adaption
problems will not occur, or will only be mild, he will reach his final prescription, usually advising you
that the prescription will take a few days to get used to.

The written prescription.

Below are a few typical prescriptions, with links so that you can understand what it means.

Below are some examples of typical prescriptions

Example 1: A typical long sighted prescription with a slight astigmatism

Sph Cyl Axis Prism Base

Right +1.00 +0.50 180
Left +0.75 +0.25 175
Example 2: (the same
prescription as example one, but written in a slightly different format)

Sph Cyl Axis Prism Base

Right +1.50 -0.50 90
Left +1.00 -0.25 85

Example 3 :A Short sighted Prescription (note the right eye has an astigmatism, the left does not)

Sph Cyl Axis Prism Base

Right -0.75 -0.50 90
Left -0.50

Example 4: A prescription with prismatic power in one eye

Sph Cyl Axis Prism Base

Right +2.75 -0.50 90 2 UP
Left -0.50

Sph Power.

The Sphere power of your prescription, is used to measure the power in your lens, which
compensates for short-sightedness (Myopia) or long-sightedness (Hyperopia).

If the power has a (-) sign next to it, then you are short sighted

If the power has a (+) sign after it, then you are long sighted

Explaining the power itself, again become a little complicated, it is sufficient to say that this power
starts at 0.00, which means that no power is required, and it increases in increments of 0.25, so the
higher the figure, the stronger the lens.

Cyl Power.

This power corrects Astigmatism, a condition which around one in three of us suffer from

This power is worked into the lens to stretch an image across an axis, which corrects a defect within
the cornea or crystalline lens within the eye.

Again this power increases in increments of 0.25, and if you do not require a Cyl power, nothing will
be written on this part of the prescription.

Axis.

The Axis is simply an angle, at which the Cyl power of your lens sits. This angle is measured in
degrees (1 degree to 180 degrees). This angle is the opposite of an imperfection in your eye caused
by Astigmatism -

Prism.

Prismatic power is sometimes prescribed for numerous reasons. Sometimes it is prescribed when a
patient has a medical condition which means that they cannot tolerate small distortions within their
peripheral vision, which can be caused by wearing spectacles.

Sometimes a prism is prescribed to correct problems with the angle at which the crystalline lens within
the eye sits, or a problem with an implant.

Prisms are prescribed in a measurement called prismatic dioptres which run from 1 to 6.

Base.

The base is simply the direction from the pupil, at which the prism sits, so the base can be set as UP,
DOWN, LEFT or RIGHT.
How To Read Your Eyeglass Prescription
By Gary Heiting, OD

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See Also: The basics of eyeglasses What's new in eyeglass lenses Understanding your contact
lens prescription

So, you've just had an eye exam and your optometrist or ophthalmologist has given you an
eyeglass prescription. He or she probably mentioned that you are nearsighted or farsighted, or
perhaps that you have astigmatism. (If that's not the case, and you still need an eye exam,
please click here to make an appointment with an eye doctor near you.)

But what do all those numbers on your eyeglass prescription mean? And what about all those
abbreviated terms, such as OD, OS, SPH and CYL?

This article will help you decipher all parts of your prescription and discuss it knowledgeably
with an optician when you're buying eyeglasses.

What OD And OS Mean

The first step to understanding your eyeglass prescription is knowing what "OD" and OS"
mean. They are abbreviations for oculus dexter and oculus sinister, which are Latin terms for
right eye and left eye.

Your eyeglass prescription also may have a column labeled "OU." This is the abbreviation
for the Latin term oculus uterque, which means "both eyes."

Though the use of these abbreviated Latin terms is traditional for prescriptions written for
eyeglasses, contact lenses and eye medicines, some doctors and clinics have opted to
modernize their prescriptions and use RE (right eye) and LE (left eye) instead of OD and OS.

On your eyeglasses prescription, the information for your right eye (OD) comes before the
information for your left eye (OS). Eye doctors write prescriptions this way because when
they face you, they see your right eye on their left (first) and your left eye on their right
(second).

Other Terms On Your Eyeglass Prescription

Your eyeglass prescription contains other terms and abbreviations as well. These include:

Sphere (SPH). This indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed
to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. If the number appearing under this heading has a
minus sign (–), you are nearsighted; if the number has a plus sign (+) or is not preceded by a
plus sign or a minus sign, you are farsighted.

The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is
"spherical," or equal in all meridians of the eye.
Cylinder (CYL). This indicates the amount of lens power for astigmatism. If nothing appears
in this column, either you have no astigmatism, or your astigmatism is so slight that it is not
really necessary to correct it with your eyeglass lenses.

The term "cylinder" means that this lens power added to correct astigmatism is not spherical,
but instead is shaped so one meridian has no added curvature, and the meridian perpendicular
to this "no added power" meridian contains the maximum power and lens curvature to correct
astigmatism.

The number in the cylinder column may be preceded with a minus sign (for the correction of
nearsighted astigmatism) or a plus sign (for farsighted astigmatism). Cylinder power always
follows sphere power in an eyeglass prescription.

Meridians of the eye are determined by superimposing a protractor scale on the eye's
front surface. The 90-degree meridian is the vertical meridian of the eye, and the 180-
degree meridian is the horizontal meridian. [Enlarge]

Axis. This describes the lens meridian that contains no cylinder power to correct astigmatism.
The axis is defined with a number from 1 to 180. The number 90 corresponds to the vertical
meridian of the eye, and the number 180 corresponds to the horizontal meridian.

If an eyeglass prescription includes cylinder power, it also must include an axis value, which
follows the cyl power and is preceded by an "x" when written freehand.

The axis is the lens meridian that is 90 degrees away from the meridian that contains the
cylinder power.

Add. This is the added magnifying power applied to the bottom part of multifocal lenses to
correct presbyopia. The number appearing in this section of the prescription is always a
"plus" power, even if it is not preceded by a plus sign. Generally, it will range from +0.75 to
+3.00 D and will be the same power for both eyes.

Prism. This is the amount of prismatic power, measured in prism diopters ("p.d." or a
superscript triangle when written freehand), prescribed to compensate for eye alignment
problems. Only a small percentage of eyeglass prescriptions include prism.
When present, the amount of prism is indicated in either metric or fractional English units
(0.5 or ½, for example), and the direction of the prism is indicated by noting the relative
position of its "base" or thickest edge. Four abbreviations are used for prism direction: BU =
base up; BD = base down; BI = base in (toward the wearer's nose); BO = base out (toward the
wearer's ear).

Sphere power, cylinder power and add power always appear in diopters. They are in decimal
form and generally are written in quarter-diopter (0.25 D) increments. Axis values are whole
numbers from 1 to 180 and signify only a meridional location, not a power. When prism
diopters are indicated in decimal form, typically only one digit appears after the period (e.g.,
0.5).

Additional Information. Your eye doctor also might write specific lens recommendations on
your eyeglass prescription — such as anti-reflective coating, photochromic lenses and/or
progressive lenses — to give you the most comfortable vision correction possible.

An Example Of An Eyeglass Prescription

Confused? Let's use an example to clear things up. (Pun intended.)

Here is a sample eyeglass prescription:

OD -2.00 SPH +2.00 add 0.5 p.d. BD

OS -1.00 -0.50 x 180 +2.00 add 0.5 p.d. BU

In this case, the eye doctor has prescribed -2.00 D sphere for the correction of myopia in the
right eye (OD). There is no astigmatism correction for this eye, so no cylinder power or axis
is noted. This doctor has elected to add "SPH," to confirm the right eye is being prescribed
only spherical power. (Some doctors will add "DS" for "diopters sphere;" others will leave
this area blank.)

The left eye (OS) is being prescribed -1.00 D sphere for myopia plus -0.50 D cylinder for the
correction of astigmatism. The cyl power has its axis at the 180 meridian, meaning the
horizontal (180-degree) meridian of the eye has no added power for astigmatism and the
vertical (90-degree) meridian gets the added -0.50 D.

Both eyes are being prescribed an "add power" of +2.00 D for the correction of presbyopia,
and this eyeglass prescription includes a prismatic correction of 0.5 prism diopter in each eye.
In the right eye, the prism is base down (BD); in the left eye, it's base up (BU).

An Eyeglass Prescription Is Not A Contact Lens

Prescription
Eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions aren't the same. An eyeglass prescription is for the
purchase of eyeglasses only. It does not contain certain information that is crucial to a contact
lens prescription and that can be obtained only during a contact lens consultation and fitting.
One of the reasons that eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions are not the same:
Eyeglass lenses are positioned at a distance from the eyes, while contacts rest directly on
the eyes. That distance affects the lens power required for eyes to focus properly.

In addition to the information in an eyeglass prescription, a contact lens prescription must

specify the base (central) curve of the back surface of the contact lens, the lens diameter, and
the specific manufacturer and brand name of the lens.

Also, the power of an eyeglass prescription frequently is modified when determining the best
contact lens power. One reason is that eyeglass lenses are worn some distance (usually about
12 millimeters) from the surface of the eye, whereas contact lenses rest directly on the eye's
cornea.

An accurate contact lens prescription can be written only after a contact lens fitting has been
performed and the prescribing doctor has evaluated your eyes' response to the lenses and to
contact lens wear in general.

Your Eyeglass Prescription: It's Yours To Keep

The Federal Trade Commission is the U.S. government's consumer protection agency, and in
1980 the FTC's Prescription Release Rule became law. The rule requires eye doctors (both
optometrists and ophthalmologists) to give patients a copy of their eyeglass prescription at
the end of an eye exam that includes a refraction.

The rule is intended to protect the "portability" of your eyeglass prescription, allowing you to
use it to buy glasses from the vendor of your choice.

Your eye doctor must give you a copy of the prescription whether or not you ask for it. Eye
doctors may not condition the release of your prescription on your agreement to purchase
eyeglasses from them, nor may they charge you an extra fee to release your prescription.
They also may not disclaim liability for the accuracy of the prescription if you purchase
eyeglasses elsewhere.

The FTC enforces the Prescription Release Rule, and eye doctors who violate the rule are
subject to a civil penalty of $10,000.
If you feel your eye doctor has violated the rule or you want free information on other
consumer issues, you can contact the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

About the Author: Gary Heiting, OD, is senior editor of AllAboutVision.com. Dr. Heiting
has more than 25 years of experience as an eye care provider, health educator and consultant
to the eyewear industry. His special interests include contact lenses, nutrition and preventive
vision care.
How to Read Your Eyeglass Prescription
Articles OnGlasses - How to Read Your Eyeglass Prescription

• All About Glasses

• Pick the Right Lenses
• Ordering Glasses Online
• How to Read Prescriptions
• Adjusting to Glasses
• Progressives
• Reading Glasses
• Slideshow: Eyewear Guide

When you look at your prescription for eyeglasses, you will see numbers listed under the
headings of OS and OD. They are Latin abbreviations: OS (oculus sinister) means the left eye
and OD (oculus dextrus) means the right eye. Occasionally, you will see a notation for OU,
which means something involving both eyes. In general, the further away from zero the
number on your prescription, the worse your eyesight and the more vision correction
(stronger prescription) you need. A “plus” (+) sign in front of the number means you
are farsighted, and a “minus” (-) sign means you are nearsighted. These numbers represent
diopters, the unit used to measure the correction, or focusing power, of the lens your eye
requires. Diopter is often abbreviated "D."

For example, if your prescription says -1.00, you have one diopter of nearsightedness. This is
a fairly mild amount of nearsightedness. If you are -4.25, that means you have 4 and 1/4
diopters of nearsightedness. This is more nearsighted than -1.00, and requires stronger
(thicker) lenses. Similarly, +1.00 would be a small amount of farsightedness and +5 would be
more.

For people who have astigmatism, there will be three numbers in your prescription. The
general form for writing these numbers is S x C x Axis

The S refers to the "spherical" portion of the prescription, which is the degree of
nearsightedness or farsightedness discussed above.

The C refers to the "cylinder" or astigmatism, and can be a negative or a positive number. It
measures in diopters the degree of astigmatism that you have. The bigger this number, the
more astigmatism you have. Astigmatism most often is caused by a cornea that is shaped
more like a football than a basketball.

The Axis is a number anywhere between 0 and 180 degrees. It reveals the orientation of the
astigmatism. It is not enough to specify how much astigmatism there is; you have to know
where the difference in curvature is taking place.

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Here are two examples of what prescriptions for eyes with astigmatism could look like:
-2.00 +1.50 x 180

+3.50 +3.00 x 45

The first prescription means that the person has 2 diopters of nearsightedness with 1.5
diopters of astigmatism and an axis of 180 degrees.

The second prescription means that the person has 3.5 diopters of farsightedness, 3 diopters
of astigmatism and an axis of 45 degrees.

How to Adjust to Bifocals and Progressives

Your vision may change as you age. You’ll know it’s happening when have to hold your
favorite book, the daily newspaper, or a restaurant menu farther away just to read it.

This is called presbyopia. It’s normal, and almost all of us get it as we reach middle age.

Over-the-counter reading glasses can help. But if you’ve always worn glasses or contacts,
then bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses may do the trick. They’re also called
multifocals.

How They Work

Bifocals and progressives have different vision strengths built into the same lens. As you look
down to read, the lens helps you see things close up. As you look up at the horizon, it lets you
see clearly far away. This helps when you walk or drive.

You can buy reading glasses over the counter. But your eye doctor must prescribe multifocals
or progressives. Children sometimes need these eyeglasses or lenses, too.

There are a few types of multifocal lenses:

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• Bifocals are two lenses in one. They’re shaped differently at the bottom and top to help you
see close up or far away. They come in both eyeglasses and contact lenses. Some bifocal
glasses have a line across the middle that divide the two corrections.
• Trifocals correct your vision so you can see close up, middle distance, or far away. They may
also may have lines or come in a progressive lens.
• Progressives have a gradual or progressive change in vision in different parts of the lens, so
there’s no line.
Short-Term Side Effects
You may need time to adjust to your lenses. Most people get used to them after a week, but it
can take longer. A few people never like the changes in vision and give up on bifocals or
progressives.

At first, you may notice:

• Blurry vision
• Objects that seem to jump or move around
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Balance problems

Bifocals or progressives may change the way you judge distance or depth as you look down
through the bottom of the lens. You could trip or fall when you climb stairs or walk around
new places. Older people are even more likely to trip when they wear these lenses.