The Axis means the angle between the two meridians of an astigmatic eye. BVD- Back Vertex Distance is the distance required from the front of your eye (cornea) to the back surface of the corrective lens. United States Download Our Mobile App for Faster Checkout. What Do the Abbreviations on My Glasses Prescription Mean? If you complete an eye exam and find your eyes needs have changed, you need to order a new prescription as soon as possible. A nearsighted prescription will feature a number with a minus (-) symbol in the sphere box. Cylinder indicates the amount of lens power for astigmatism. When you hold the prescription, have you ever been curious to know what the number and letters mean for your eyesight? The Zenni Optical website says I need that bit, but all it let's you input are positive or negative numbers, I can't write in SPH even if I knew what it mean. Posted by otakugrey. The number under 'cylinder' provides the lens power needed to correct the astigmatism. Our entire range of mens glasses suitable for varifocal lenses. Thats why weve put together a short guide to help you learn how to read a glasses prescription so you can get to ordering your new set of eyeglasses as quickly as possible. This indicates the required strength for the near prescription in your lens. You may also have a column labeled OU, which means oculus uterque, or both eyes. Free Express Shipping and 30-Day Returns Worldwide. Notable terms include: Sphere (SPH) - The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is spherical, equal in all meridians of the eye. Prism refers to the amount of prismatic power needed to correct eye alignment problems, measured in prism diopters. If nothing appears in your CYL column, you do not require astigmatism correction. Consequently, 24 shown by the red line on the Continue Reading 10 Sponsored by Forbes Advisor If you choose not to accept certain cookies, some interactive features of our websites may not work. The value may be as high as 10 and may go up in steps of or 1 Prism Dioptres. If you are farsighted, you will see a plus sign(+) next to the Sphere number. Press J to jump to the feed. If there is no number written under the CYL part, this means you are free from astigmatism and need no eye contact. ADD, or addition, refers to the amount of magnifying power you would need in multifocal lenses to see closer objects, like a book. We use cookies to give you a fantastic customer experience. You may also have an INTER ADD value used for arms-length distance tasks such as computers or reading music. In the horizontal meridian of the eyes, the number 180 is used. If not, keep on your reading and you will find the full explanations in the following part. Knowing how to read an eyeglass prescription is essential! Sphere (SPH) - The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is spherical, equal in all meridians of the eye. What face shape best suits cat eye glasses? [+/-Cylinder].axis [some angle between 0 and 180 degrees]. The numbers on your eyeglass prescription describe precisely how your glasses lenses should be cut. You've probably asked yourself many times, what does my glasses prescription mean? SPH, or sphere, is the amount of lens power needed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness, whereas CYL, or cylinder, is the amount of lens power needed to correct astigmatism. Your prescription will usually contain the following: Your optometrist or ophthalmologist will perform an eye examination to determine these values. What does 165 axis mean - One tool that can be used is What does 165 axis mean. Specific parts of Rx: To expand on dr. Proffitt's answer, sph = sphere; if this is a negative number, the prescription is a myopic or nearsighted prescription and a positive number dictates a farsighted or hyperopic prescription. You can then go ahead and enter the prescription as follows: By clicking the link Need Help? For multi-focal glasses, as well as reading and computer glasses, your Rx will include an ADD or NV value. What is Cylinder in glasses? A survey of the criteria for prescribing in cases of borderline refractive errors. The Axis in your prescription is usually measured from 1 to 180. The cylinder is the indication of the condition, astigmatism, in which the cornea is shaped irregularly causing distorted or blurred vision. It is used to correctly orientate the cylinder correction when making your glasses. The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is "spherical," or equal in all meridians of the eye. This indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. The less common prism Rx refers to the amount of prismatic power needed to compensate for eye alignment issues (e.g., double vision or lazy eye). Spex4less and SPEX4LESS are registered trademarks of Fashion Specs Direct Limited. You must be logged in to manage your wishlist. A minus (-) symbol next to this number means you're nearsighted, and a plus (+) symbol means the prescription is meant to correct farsightedness. A positive value, or a prescription with a plus-sign (+), means that your child is farsighted. Vision Center is funded by our readers. This instructs the person making your glasses to use a lens of similar weight to balance out the frame. Cylinder power is always written after sphere power in an eyeglass prescription. What does VD mean on eye prescription? In the third part, we will show you what the Axis in glasses is. I agree to Olives, How to Know If You Need Glasses? This measurement is important as it explains at what distance your lenses should sit from your eyes. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. If the optometrist wrote "DS" or "Sph" or "Spherical" in the Cylinder space, it indicates no correction and should be entered as 0 on the order form. How to Read Your Prescription for Glasses. This is the abbreviation for the Latin termoculus uterque, which means "both eyes.". OS -1.00 -0.50 x 180 +2.00 add 0.5 p.d. An astigmatism is where the eye is shaped slightly like a rugby ball or referred to as toric, not a perfect sphere like a football. Swim Goggles Non-Rx: Giggly Goggles for Kids, All Swim Goggles Non-Rx: Giggly Goggles for Kids, Anti Blue Light Glasses / Blue Block Glasses, Replacement Parts & Accessories| Rec Specs, Prescription Ski Goggles Inserts and Ski Goggles, Partnerships with Ophthalmologists / Optometrists / Eye Health Professionals. When we look at the eye prescription written by our consultant, different questions come to mind. Nowadays, most of us wear glasses and most of us just take the prescription to the optical store to pick out a pair of glasses. When the person has no astigmatism, the perfect eye shows 0 diopters. It is the amount of magnification required to "ADD" to the "SPH" value of your "Distance" prescription to correct your near vision. To convert a multi-focal prescription for single vision reading glasses, simply combine the Add number and the Spherical number. If you suffer from astigmatism, your prescription will indicate values for CYL and Axis. The "Distance" row contains the values required to correct your distance vision for the respective eye. Sphere (SPH) - The expression "sphere" means that the remedy for astigmatism or farsightedness is round, equivalent in all meridians of the eye. 'Add' +2.50 - should be entered for both eyes). A contact lens prescription can only be obtained from a contact lens consultation and fitting. You may find a number listed which helps determine the amount of lens power that is needed to correct astigmatism. Marketing cookies are used to offer personalized advertisements. The number 90 means the vertical meridian of the eye and the number 180 means the horizontal meridian. What does SPH mean for glasses? It will be a number between 1 and 180. As you can see in the first example (Standard GOS 2 Glasses Prescription) the optician has listed the patient's complete distance prescription on the top row and the complete near prescription in the bottom row. In the vertical meridian of the eyes, the number 90 is used. After reading this post, you may have gotten the answers. 10 Signs You Need Glasses may be helpful. The values concerning the correction your right eye may be indicated as "RE", "Right", "Right Eye" or "OD" which is an abbreviation for Oculus Dexter, the Latin term for "Right Eye". Sphere (SPH) and Cylinder (CYL) always have a (+) or (-) sign. An SPH number indicates if you are farsighted or nearsighted. If the human eye acuity is 20/200, this is called the bad eye axis and is considered the blind person. This just means the eye has difficulty focusing at certain angles. Conversely, if your prescription does not display a CYL value, you do not need an Axis value. Checkout now! Axis refers to the lens meridian with no cylindrical power to correct astigmatism. The numbers are from 1 to 180 in the axis part of the eye prescription. In this case, the eye doctor has prescribed -2.00 D sphere for the correction of myopia in the right eye (OD). SMILE eye surgery: Small Incision Lenticule Extraction, PRK laser eye surgery: How it differs from LASIK, LASIK surgery: A complete guide for what to expect, How to choose the right glasses for face shape, Glasses size measurements: A guide to eyeglasses frame size. The images below show the same prescription information in two different formats. 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). BO=Base Out, BI=Base In, BU=Base Up, and BD (or BDn)=Base Down. OOPS! We aim to deliver within 1-7 days and we will always attempt to notify you of any delays. But don't worry, after reading this page you'll understand what all the details mean and you'll know how to read your glasses prescription correctly. Sphere means the spherical correction where the meridians of the human eye are equal. Similar to SPH, optometrists measure CYL in increments of 0.25 diopters. Most online retailers ask you to read and input your prescription into their order form, but if you dont know how to read your prescription, that process can get complicated. Your prescription gives us, your Opticians or Doctors recommendation for clear and comfortable vision. This number always has a (+) sign. The BASE value will be displayed as BU or UP (Base UP), BD or DOWN (Base DOWN), BI or IN (Base IN) or BO or OUT (Base OUT). Sphere: The sphere (SPH) on your prescription indicates the lens power you need to see clearly. 2004 - 2023 Spex4less, Fashion Specs Direct LTD, All Rights Reserved. However, underneath the form, you will see a set of links under the heading "Click here of your prescription looks different to this form". Prescribing spectacles: reasons for failure of spectacle lens acceptance. Most values range from +/- 0.25 to +/- 4.00 and will go up in steps of 0.25. That way, your eyes are looking through the best point on each lens, some prescriptions may have the PD/Pupillary Distance listed for each eye respectively, for example RE: 32 LE: 32, you would enter 64mm from our list. ; values are usually entered with computer, but may be handwritten by doctor. Michael is the content strategist and a lead content writer for Vision Center. Axis is the angle in which the cylinder correction should be. There will also be a number in the axis column thats needed for astigmatism correction. We may earn commissions if you purchase something via one of our links. How can I stop my glasses from slipping down my nose? A Prism is to try and correct a lazy eye and indicates a more delicate condition, this is included with a prescription to correct some special conditions or some eye disorders (like squints) that require the focussed image to move position. The cylinder is the indication of the condition, astigmatism, in which the cornea is shaped irregularly causing distorted or blurred vision.