The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Your Eye Prescription

The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Your Eye Prescription

At some point in our lives, most of us have had to visit an optometrist or ophthalmologist and receive an eye prescription. It can be a baffling experience, especially if you have never received one before. Understanding your prescription is essential because it helps you get the right corrective eyewear. In this ultimate guide, we will help you break things down and make sense of it all.

What is an Eye Prescription?

An eye prescription is a set of instructions from an optometrist or ophthalmologist that dictates the necessary corrections to enhance your visual acuity. It is a written record of measurements, observations, and diagnoses that indicate what type and power of corrective lenses you require.

Understanding the Terminology

There are several acronyms and terms that you’ll come across when you get your prescription. Here are a few definitions to help you understand them better.

OD and OS
OD means Oculus Dexter, which is Latin for “right eye,” and OS means Oculus Sinister, which is Latin for “left eye.” These terms help the eye care professional distinguish which eye needs which prescription.

Sphere (SPH)
Sphere refers to how near or farsightedness you are. A minus sign denotes nearsightedness, and a plus sign denotes farsightedness. The larger the number, the more severe the problem is.

Cylinder (CYL)
Cylinder shows the amount of astigmatism you have in your eye. The larger the number, the more severe your astigmatism is.

Axis
Axis is the angle at which the cylinder correction is applied. It is measured in degrees.

Addition (ADD)
Addition is a positive number that indicates the magnification needed for reading or close-up work in multifocal lenses like bifocals or progressive lenses.

Interpreting Your Prescription

When reading your prescription, you’ll first see four columns. The first two columns are for your right (OD) and left (OS) eyes, respectively. The sphere, cylinder, and axis values are written in the second and third columns. The fourth column indicates the prescription’s power, which can be written in plus or minus diopters.

So, for example, if your prescription reads -3.00 -1.00 x 90 and +2.00 +1.50 x 90, it means the following:

– Your right eye prescription is -3.00 diopters nearsighted, 1.00 diopters astigmatic, and the correction is applied at an axis of 90 degrees.
– Your left eye prescription is +2.00 diopters farsighted, 1.50 diopters astigmatic, and the correction is applied at an axis of 90 degrees.

What Does it all Mean?

An eye prescription is the key to unlocking better visual acuity. Understanding the terminology and knowing how to interpret your prescription is the crucial first step in getting the help you need. Armed with the right knowledge, you can make informed decisions about your eye health and choose the correct corrective eyewear.

Conclusion

Getting the right prescription and understanding what it means is critical for maintaining healthy eyesight. Knowing the terminology and being able to read and interpret your prescription puts you in control of your eye health. So, if you’re unsure about your prescription, talk to your eye care professional and ask all the questions you need to ensure you have a clear understanding of your eye prescription.