Home
eyes and vision
laser eye surgery
lasik information
eye surgery guide
eye problems
eye care
glasses
glasses guide
contact lenses
sunglasses guide
lasik directory
optometrist directory
lasik reviews
laser eye surgery blog
eye articles library
site map

[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

Your Eye Prescription Explained. Simple eye prescription explanation

The eye prescription explained for you in simple terms.Easy eye prescription explanation:All the numbers and letters of your glasses prescription clearly explained.




After an eye test your optometrist will present you with an eye prescription, this will indicate the amount of long or short sight you may have and also whether you have any astigmatism.Most spectacle prescriptions are valid for a period of 2 years. Children's older people and patients with certain eye conditions prescriptions are usually valid for one year.Your own optometrist can verify this at the time of your eye examination.

A typical example of an eye prescription explained, in the example shown below:

Eye Prescription Explained

Eye Prescription Explanation:

Distance is the strength of lenses required for your distance vision.

RIGHT refers to your right eye (RE),

LEFT to your left.(LE)

SPH (sphere)

The strength of lens required to correct your eyesight.

Plus (+) lenses are used to correct long sight/hyperopia

Minus (-) lenses are used to correct short sight/myopia The higher the number, the stronger the lens required.ie:the more short or long sighted you are.Note it is possible to be short sighted in one eye and longsighted in the other.

CYL (cylinder)

Amount of correction to remove any astigmatism caused by an irregularly shaped cornea .

AXIS

The axis direction between 0 and 180 degrees that the cylinder will be built into your spectacle lenses to correct your astigmatism.

PRISM

Any correction to help balance your eye muscles so they work as a pair more comfortably will be written in this box

BASE

The direction that the prism if required (up/down/in/out ) will be built into your lenses.

ADD Inter

The amount of correction if needed to be added to your distance lens strength to enable you to cope with intermediate distances, such as working at a computer .

ADD Near

This is the amount of correction added to your distance lens strength to enable you to see close objects clearly, eg:reading a book (usually for presbyopic patients over 45yrs of age)




Back to glasses guide page.

Return to eye care section from your eye prescription explained..

Back to home page of the laser eye surgery review from eye prescription explanation.

Laser eye surgery site map.


footer for eye prescription explained page