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Continue shoppingWays to Read Your Eye Prescription Correctly
Understanding your eye prescription is essential when it comes to ordering the right eyeglasses or contact lenses. While it may seem complex at first glance, once you break down the components, it becomes much easier to interpret. This guide will walk you through the key elements of an eye prescription and how to read it correctly.
1. Understanding the Basics of an Eye Prescription
Your eye prescription is typically written in a grid format with several columns and rows. Here’s what each component means:
- OD (Oculus Dexter): Refers to your right eye.
- OS (Oculus Sinister): Refers to your left eye.
- OU (Oculus Uterque): Refers to both eyes (sometimes used).
Next to these abbreviations, you'll find several numbers that indicate the specific measurements required for your lenses:
Sphere (SPH)
This number indicates the lens power needed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness.
Cylinder (CYL)
This number measures the degree of astigmatism, which is when your eye isn’t completely round.
Axis
If you have astigmatism, the axis will tell you the orientation of the correction needed, ranging from 0 to 180 degrees.
Prism
Rarely used, this corrects double vision by aligning the images seen by each eye.
2. Breaking Down Each Component with Images
To make this more visual and easier to understand, let's look at a sample prescription.
Sample Prescription: OD: -2.00 SPH, -0.50 CYL, 90 Axis, OS: -1.50 SPH, -0.75 CYL, 85 Axis
Explanation:
- OD: The right eye needs a lens with -2.00 diopters (D) of correction for nearsightedness, a -0.50 correction for astigmatism, and the astigmatism correction is oriented at 90 degrees.
- OS: The left eye needs a lens with -1.50 D for nearsightedness, a -0.75 correction for astigmatism, and the correction is oriented at 85 degrees.
3.Common Mistakes When Reading an Eye Prescription
- Confusing OD and OS: Remember, OD is for your right eye, and OS is for your left eye. This is crucial when ordering lenses.
- Overlooking the Sign: A minus sign before the sphere number means nearsightedness, while a plus sign means farsightedness. Mistaking these can lead to incorrect lenses.
- Ignoring the Axis: If you have astigmatism, the axis number is essential to ensure proper correction.
4.Using Your Prescription to Order Eyeglasses or Contacts
Once you’ve understood your prescription, you can use it to order glasses or contact lenses. Be sure to:
- Double-check each number: Ensure that the numbers match what’s written on your prescription.
- Note the Pupillary Distance (PD): This is often required when ordering glasses to ensure that the lenses are correctly centered.