The three columns (from left to right) refer to Sphere (SPH), Cylinder (CYL) and Axis. Sometimes opticians use the word 'Add' or 'Near' instead of 'addition'. This number will appear as a decimal (0.5) or fraction (), followed by two letters indicating the base direction: There may be additional information written by your optometrist or ophthalmologist regarding your eye health. Optometrists measure SPH values in increments of 0.25 diopters, and when people talk about their prescription degree, theyre usually talking about their sphere value. What is a contact lens eye exam and fitting? One FREE Frame with SV 1.56 index lenses are included ! 2023 Lensmartonline.com.All rights reserved, FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDER OVER $65 (REMOTE AREA NOT COVERED) / Buy 1,Get Other Frames 50% Off(Not eligible for frames under $10). Sphere, sometimes abbreviated as SPH, indicates the amount of lens power needed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. Cylinder axes range from 0 to 180, and are based on a hemispheric protractor. If you have an astigmatism, indicated by an axis and cylinder number on your prescription, it means that the front of your eye is irregularly shaped. How Do You Keep Your Glasses From Fogging Up With A Ski Mask? 'Sphere' is basically a measure of how strong your prescription needs to be. | Our entire range of mens sunglasses from only 19.97, Our entire range of womens sunglasses from only 19.97. For example: (+2.00) + (+2.25) = (+4.25). Cylinder power is always written after sphere power in an eyeglass prescription. (See Different ways in which a prescription can be displayed below). A minus (-) symbol next to this number means you're nearsighted, and a plus (+) symbol means the prescription is meant to correct farsightedness. The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is "spherical," or equal in all meridians of the eye. The optical centre of each lens should be placed directly in front of the centre of each of your pupils. A + in the box indicates that you are long-sighted which means you find it difficult to see things close to you. Keep your prescription up to date so these numbers can accurately reflect your visual needs. Medically Reviewed by Dr. Melody Huang, O.D. The images below show some possible layouts of different prescriptions and how they would be entered on our website. It does not matter whether the correction is of farsightedness or nearsightedness; it is always in spherical form. And what about all those abbreviated terms, such as OD, OS, SPH and CYL? 2004 - 2023 Spex4less, Fashion Specs Direct LTD, All Rights Reserved. What Is The Difference Between A Retinal Tear And A Retinal Detachment? Typically, youll see several abbreviations and words labeling all of the important data on your prescription. On your eyeglasses prescription, the information for your right eye (OD) comes before the information for your left eye (OS). ADD. Inter, Inter Add, Int Add, Int, Intermediate Addition - These all relate to your intermediate addition and are used to make glasses for intermediate distance use. By subscribing to Eyebuydirect text messaging on 81096, you agree to receive recurring autodialed marketing text msgs to the mobile number used at opt-in. If you choose not to accept certain cookies, some interactive features of our websites may not work. Let's use an example to understand things better. On the eye prescription, CYL represents the cylinder correction part whether there is astigmatism or not. There are occasions where your optician will write out your complete "Distance" prescription followed by your complete "Near" prescription. When you enter your prescription during checkout, please select "Not Applicable" for all Cylinder and Axis fields, thank you. This doctor has elected to add "SPH," to confirm the right eye is being prescribed only spherical power. What does Axis mean for glasses? Sphere, sometimes abbreviated as SPH, indicates the amount of lens power needed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. The PRISM value will also be followed by a directional value (see BASE below). 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. This indicates that your lens should be shaped to correct near vision. This means that the eyeball is spherical and has no oblongedness, and consequently has no Cylinder or Axis values. Sphere, Cylinder, and Axis on Eye Prescriptions Sphere: The sphere (SPH) on your prescription indicates the lens power you need to see clearly. Different Prescriptions and How to Enter Your Values On Our Site. When you visit the opticians for an eye test you will receive a written copy of your prescription. Page published on Thursday, 21 February, 2019. The value may be as high as 10 and may go up in steps of or 1 Prism Dioptres. Most values range from 0.00 to +/- 20.00 and go up in steps of 0.25. The sphere is measured in Dioptre's, your prescription may have the word Plano or Pl or an infinity sign, this means that you are neither long nor short sighted but zero power for the Sphere, however you may have astigmatism - a CYL and AXIS on your prescription. When 180 is reached, the axis then starts over at 0. The Add, short for Reading Addition, is the additional correction required for reading, this can be used to make either reading glasses, bifocal glasses or Varifocal glasses. The "Near" row or "Near Addition" contains the information required to correct your near vision. What does that mean. It is usually separated by 90 degrees. For more information, please see our. This is especially handy as you can copy the values without having to make any calculations yourself. The numbers are from 1 to 180 in the axis part of the eye prescription. You're currently shopping our United States site. This is always a "+" value in 0.25 steps. Cylinder: The cylinder (CYL) number indicates the lens power needed to correct astigmatism. SPH is the abbreviation for the word sphere. GogglesNMore All Rights Reserved. If you cant make sense of your eyeglass prescription, youre not alone. This instructs the person making your glasses to use a lens of similar weight to balance out the frame. See, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Sphere refers to the power of your lens (measured in dioptre units) to correct the degree of short or long sight you have. They may mention that you have either of the following: They probably gave you an eyeglasses prescription that looks something like this: These are all crucial pieces of information when getting your eyewear. The type of Rx glasses may be noted on a prescription, such as DV [Distance Vision/nearsightedness] and NV [Near Vision/reading]. Common Abbreviations That Appear on Your Prescription. These are abbreviations for the Latin terms oculus dexter and oculus sinister. A prescription for someone who is farsighted will feature a number with a plus (+) symbol in the sphere box. What is CYL, AXIS and SPH? It's considered a mild amount of nearsightedness. On any prescription, PD can be written in different ways: e.g., 62 (Single PD), 33/31 (Dual PD), or 62/60 (Distance PD/Near PD). This box maybe empty or have a plus or a minus value in it. Only a small percentage of eyeglass prescriptions include prism. Plano, Infinity, 0.00- Basically 0.00 or no correction is required for that part of the prescription. We aim to deliver within 1-7 days and we will always attempt to notify you of any delays. Conversely, if your prescription does not display a CYL value, you do not need an Axis value. 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 Measure your PD(Pupillary Distance), Choosing the Best Frames for Progressives, How to Replace Lenses in a Full-Rim Frame, How to Replace Lenses in a Half-Rim Frame. The 20/20 vision is the correct vision for normal eyes. All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. 5. A nearsighted prescription will feature a number with a minus (-) symbol in the sphere box. The term "sphere" refers to the fact that distance vision correction is spherical, or equal in all meridians of the eye. For example: "+2.25 ADD" or "Add +2.25". Our entire range of mens prescription designer glasses. If you require progressive lenses, your prescription willdisplay a value under the ADD (addition) column. VA, Visual Acuities - These values describe your vision (visual acuity) but are not needed to make your glasses. A sphero-cylindrical prescription (an Rx) for one eye consists of 3 parts, all written from left to right: [+/-Sphere]. Unlike typical Rx formats, with values going from left to right, the vertical Rx values are listed top to bottom. Sphere (SPH) - The expression "sphere" means that the remedy for astigmatism or farsightedness is round, equivalent in all meridians of the eye. The axis indicates the angle (in degrees) between the two meridians of an astigmatic eye. Sitemap | All Prices are in USD, Exclusive Development Partner In some cases, the optician may write what appears to be a slash above the figure to indicate a "-" value.When no correction for SPH is required the optician will write "Plano", "", "0.00" or just leave the space blank. Naturally, a prescription will contain values for the correction of both of your eyes. Drooping eyelids: The causes and treatment of ptosis, Hyphema: Facts about internal eye bleeding, Eye discharge: Sleep, or rheum in your eyes, How to get rid of a stye with treatment at home, Eye allergies: Itchy, red and watery eyes, Blepharitis: Causes, symptoms and treatment, Eye infections: Causes, symptoms and treatment, 7 eye stye facts: Causes, symptoms, treatment, Blue light: How its both bad and good for your eyes. Kids' glasses and frames: A guide to fun children's eyewear. They can also be written anywhere on the prescription. After reading this part, you may get the answer. CYL (Cylinder) CYL is a '+' or '-' value in 0.25 steps and is required to correct your astigmatism. When you hold the prescription, have you ever been curious to know what the number and letters mean for your eyesight? You can simply select the values that match your prescription. Add indicates the magnifying power applied to the bottom part of bifocal, multifocal, or progressive lenses used to correct presbyopia (age-related farsightedness). A minus sign () means it's correcting nearsighted astigmatism, while plus sign(+) means it's correcting farsighted astigmatism. The SPH number on a glasses prescription is listed as a positive (+) or negative (-) number. If nothing appears in the Cylinder column, it indicates that you have no astigmatism, or your astigmatism is so light that there is no need to correct it with the eyeglass lenses. 844-249-8359 Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn about LASIK success rates and side effects, Learn about the costs associated with LASIK, Benefits of LASIK for astigmatism correction, How to find vision insurance that covers LASIK, Compare PRK and LASIK procedures and results, 14 tips for protecting your vision after LASIK. The number under cylinder provides the lens power needed to correct the astigmatism. Warby Parker has stylish, high-quality frames at affordable prices. Add, Near Add, Reading Addition- These all relate to your reading addition and can be written anywhere on the prescription. 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. How to Measure Your PD with A Regular Ruler. When people talk about their eye degree or power, they are usually referring to their SPH value. SPH, or sphere, refers to the amount of correction needed for nearsightedness or farsightedness. ; values are usually entered with computer, but may be handwritten by doctor. [+/-Cylinder].axis [some angle between 0 and 180 degrees]. Eye doctors write prescriptions this way because when they come face to face with you, they see your right eye on their left (first) and your left eye on their right (second). i'm considering online since I need 1.74 hi-index and that can run expensive even in online stores, and a lot of local shops around me only offer up to 1.67. why isn't online a good idea? The Sphere is also used to correct the nearsightedness or farsightedness. On the eye prescription, there are minus and plus signs in the cylinder column. OD is short for the Latin term oculus dexter which means right eye. If there is no number written under the CYL part, this means you are free from astigmatism and need no eye contact. A glasses prescription can be displayed in a number of ways. If you dont have any medical issues that affect your vision, you should have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years. If your SPH value is -1.00, you are nearsighted. This indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. The "ADD" value applies to both eyes and can sometimes be written only once on the prescription, even though the addition is required for both eyes. Sphere, often written as SPH, means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is spherical, equal in all meridians of the eye. Vision Center is funded by our readers. Thats where your new prescription from your optometrist or ophthalmologist comes in. 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). Well break down your prescription step-by-step. Consequently, 24 shown by the red line on the Continue Reading 10 Sponsored by Forbes Advisor This is an important question because this is related to the eyes and gives answers related to different changes in the human eye. Myopia control: How to slow your child's myopia, Childrens eye care problems at school-age, How the eye works: Refraction and refractive errors, Using eye drops: How to correctly apply them. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. All transactions are secured with the latest SSL technology, verified by Amazon. Your prescription will usually contain the following: Your optometrist or ophthalmologist will perform an eye examination to determine these values. SPH is a '+' or '-' value in 0.25 steps and is required to correct your nearsightedness (-) or farsightedness (+). In addition, you will see the initials OD and OS written on your eye prescription. Our entire range of womens prescription designer glasses. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement. Sphere, also known as degree or power, is the amount of single vision correction you need. Subscribe to our newsletter for KOALAEYE style news, 2022 KOALAEYE OPTICAL. 6. Balance - No values are required. Melody Huang is an optometrist and freelance health writer. Loved by Customers -64,000+ Trustpilot Reviews! Now that you understand those mysterious letters and numbers, you know how to read a glasses prescription! This measurement is important as it explains at what distance your lenses should sit from your eyes. What Does SPH mean? What does SPH mean for glasses? What does SPH mean for glasses? That means that you have no astigmatism to correct in that eye. Knowing what they mean will also help you more easily discuss your prescription with your eye care professional. For example: SPH -3.25 CYL -1.25 AXIS 120. The base value will show either in or out, or up and down, indicating the direction the prism should be angled. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. A survey of the criteria for prescribing in cases of borderline refractive errors. Do a "deep search" instead. It tells the optician how to orient the lens so that the cylinder has no power at the axis location. Impact resistance and prescription compliance with AS/NZS 1337.6:2010. What does 1.50 mean on glasses? Our entire range of prescription glasses for Women. Alternatively, you may have a row for "Distance" and a space provided for a "Near Addition" or "Reading Addition". If you are farsighted, you will see a plus sign(+) next to the Sphere number. Prism powers will always be accompanied with a direction which is usually seen as a base diresction such as IN, OUT, UP and DOWN; for example; Prism 2.00 Base IN. Home>Tips & Guides>How to Read an Eyeglass Prescription. If not, keep on your reading and you will find the full explanations in the following part. The ADD value is also referred to as a "Near Addition" or "Reading Addition". In the third part, we will show you what the Axis in glasses is. Cylinder means the amount of lens power for astigmatism and shows the differences between the greatest and weakest powers of the eye. Our friendly customer service team are on hand to help Monday to Friday 9 am-5 pm and Saturdays 9 am-12 pm. What are the different types of contact lenses? In its simplest form, a prescription for glasses will feature a table with two rows and three columns. This correction is often used for driving, television and general wear (walking around). 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. If the number is positive (+), it is correcting farsightedness. This is the abbreviation for the Latin termoculus uterque, which means "both eyes.". Theplus (+) orminus (-) sign before SPH indicates whether you are nearsighted or farsighted. Though the use of these abbreviated Latin terms is traditional for prescriptions written for eyeglasses, contact lensesand 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. Prescribing spectacles: reasons for failure of spectacle lens acceptance. This stands for cylinder, and it refers to the strength of the lenses needed to correct your astigmatism. 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. In the context of an eye prescription, OD means right eye and OS means left eye. Register so we can email you as soon as its becomes available! You should have a number under the CYL column too. An AXIS will only be found on your prescription if there is a CYL value for the same eye. These links allow you to toggle the form so that it appears the same as the hard copy of your prescription, some common examples are shown below. 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. This format is less common in the US. Astigmatism relates to an issue in the curvature of yourcorneathat causes blurred distance and near vision, especially at night. Our online prescription form initially displays the most common format, Distance with a Near Add. However, underneath the form, you will see a set of links under the heading "Click here of your prescription looks different to this form". This indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. Full Explanations: Sphere, Cylinder, and Axis Superlite titanium rimless collection The SuperLite Titanium rimless series is provided by super Warby Parker WARBY PARKER, one of the most popular eyewear brands in the United States, set up it What Are Progressive Lenses? If you are due for new eyeglasses in Clermont, contact Pennachio Eye at 325-227-1999 . How to choose the best lenses for your glasses, Photochromic lenses: Glasses that adjust to light, Special eyewear: Safety, driving and computer glasses, How to pick the right glasses for your face shape, Reading glasses: A buying guide for readers, Choosing glasses for your style and personality, Glasses size: A guide to eyeglasses frame size, Best places to buy eyeglasses/where to buy glasses, Why prescription sunglasses are a smart choice, How to prevent eye damage with UV sunglasses, Choosing the best sunglasses for your kids, The pros and cons of daily disposable contact lenses, Contact lens care: How to clean and store soft contacts, Understanding your contact lens prescription, Choosing the right coloured contact lenses, Contact lens tips: A user guide with expert advice. The size is not dangerous or bad, but the number associated with it (ex: Size: small, medium, large, extra-large etc.) Some people may have prism in two directions for one eye, for example; Prism 2.00 Base IN & 1.00 Base UP. However, there are other parameters, such as CYL which means the astigmatism part and AX which means the axis position in the astigmatism. The temple should be long enough to keep the frame securely in place without any pressure on your ears. All rights reserved. ADD, or addition, refers to the amount of magnifying power you would need in multifocal lenses to see closer objects, like a book. If you suffer from astigmatism, your prescription will indicate values for CYL and Axis. Posted by otakugrey. What If My Prescription Does Not Follow The Format on Your Website? 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. 10 Signs You Need Glasses may be helpful. Tap on the prescription form to find out what all those number and abbreviations mean, By proceeding to the site or clicking Accept All Cookies, you consent to such use. If you have been provided with a BVD value ensure to enter it into the additional information or comments box provided with any online prescription forms. In this case, the eye doctor has prescribed -2.00 D sphere for the correction of myopia in the right eye (OD). On the other hand, in the farsightedness, the person can see those objects clearly which are far but near object seems blurry. Msg frequency may vary. This is why you need to go to a local optician, not buy online. The bridge width will make sure your eyewear rest comfortably on the bridge of your nose, measuring the distance from the innermost point on each lens. The number 90 corresponds to the vertical meridian of the eye, and the number 180 corresponds to the horizontal meridian. Essentially, OD means right eye, and OS means left eye. Checkout now! The axis is labeled as a number from 1 to 180. It is measured with the unit diopters (D), indicating the lens power of the glasses. I agree to Olives, How to Know If You Need Glasses? These include: Sphere indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters(D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. Typical SPH numbers range between 0.00 and +/- 20.00. The prism Rx will have two values: PRISM & BASE. Axis refers to the lens meridian with no cylindrical power to correct astigmatism. This correction is often used for computer (VDU) operation. Consent is not a condition of purchase. 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). At first glance, the details may seem quite confusing. Sphere means the spherical correction where the meridians of the human eye are equal. Whats more, if an eyeglass prescription includes cylinder power, it also must include an Axis value, which follows the CYL power. The information on this free-form prescription is usually handwritten. Pupillary distance explained: how to measure PD. While you likely know whether youre nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, determining that from your prescription slip is another thing entirely. In AXIS, the lens meridian plays an important role. The axis is always exactly 90 degrees away from the meridian, which contains all of the correcting lens power for astigmatism. Inter, refers to intermediate, this is the prescription required to correct intermediate vision, and may appear in full, or as an additional power (ADD) to the distance. Spex4less and SPEX4LESS are registered trademarks of Fashion Specs Direct Limited. DS simply means no power is present in the CYL box so leave this as NONE or DS. This correction is often used for reading, sewing and any detailed close work. The measurement is the Dioptre. If you have an astigmatism, you will also have a corresponding "AXIS" value (see below).When no astigmatism correction is required the optician will leave the box blank. This number shows the angle of the lens that shouldnt feature a cylinder power to correct your astigmatism. What does 165 axis mean - One tool that can be used is What does 165 axis mean. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This instructs the person making your glasses to use a lens of similar weight to balance out the frame. The axis is defined with a number from 1 to 180. 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 "ADD" value may be written in the "Near Addition" space on your prescription. When you enter your prescription during checkout, please select "Not Applicable" for all Cylinder and Axis fields, thank you. During an eye exam, your doctor will determine whether you need vision correction.