How To Read An Eye Prescription (5 Items Simply Explained) (2024)

FAQs

What does +5.00 eye prescription mean? ›

Positive numbers on an eye prescription indicate they are correcting farsightedness, while negative numbers correct shortsightedness. A larger number suggests a stronger prescription.

The sphere column is often abbreviated as SPH. This is the lens power needed to fix your vision. A minus sign (−) next to the number means nearsightedness (you see better up close and need distance correction). A plus sign (₊) indicates you are farsighted (you see better far away and need your near vision corrected).

The results of an eye chart exam are based on a reading distance of 20 feet. To interpret your reading, it helps to think of the numbers in feet. For instance, someone with 20/60 vision can read at 20 feet away what a person with normal vision could read at 60 feet away.

it is bad, +3.75 means you have high farsightedness. just take good care and wear your glasses and if needed go and consult a good eye care specialist. you can get good vision with prescription glasses.

To be considered “legally blind,” the vision in a person's better seeing eye must be 20/200 or less with correction (glasses or contacts), or the person must have a visual field of 20 degrees or less in the better seeing eye. Not everyone with low vision meets this legal criteria.

The GlassesUSA Prescription Scanner is a free app that uses your smartphone camera to scan your current eyeglasses and read the prescription. You'll also submit a selfie photo to measure your pupillary distance (PD), the distance between your pupils.

75 diopters of astigmatism, and this is considered normal and will likely not require correction. Between . 75 and 2 diopters is considered mild astigmatism. Between 2 and 4 diopters is moderate astigmatism, and 4 or more diopters is considered significant or “bad” astigmatism.

In general, the further away from zero the number on your prescription, the worse your eyesight and the more vision correction (stronger prescription) you need. A “plus” (+) sign in front of the number means you are farsighted, and a “minus” (-) sign means you are nearsighted.

This includes questions about the name of the medication, how often you are supposed to take it, how to take it, what disease the medication is treating, and if there are any side effects you should expect to have. You can also ask about what to do if you miss a dose and when you should stop taking the medication.

If you see a (–) symbol next to or above a number in the (SPH) section - you have a short sighted prescription. Although you can normally see things close up, far away distances would be a blur. If you see a (+) symbol in the (SPH) section next to or above a number, you have a long sighted prescription.

How do you explain eye exam numbers? ›

Eyeglass strength is measured in diopters. If your prescription reads -1.00, that means your eyeglasses need 1 diopter of strength to correct nearsightedness. If your prescription reads +2.50, your eyeglasses need 2.5 diopters of strength to correct farsightedness.

Yes, “cheating” on an eye exam is possible. People may do this by memorizing vision charts or skewing their answers during their exam. But this is not a recommended practice for several reasons: It can result in visual discomfort, an incorrect prescription, road dangers and even legal trouble.

Upon completing the driving portion of the test, the California DMV requires that you pass a standard eye test using a Snellen Eye Chart. The CA DMV vision requirements are as follows: Drivers must have visibility at 20/40 with both eyes combined (e.g. one eye visibility at 20/40 and the other eye visibility at 20/70).

Before we jump into what each section of how to read an eye prescription means, as a general rule, the higher the numbers on your prescription, the worse your eyesight is and the stronger your prescription will be to provide the necessary correction. Mild: -0.50 to -3. Moderate: -3.25 to -5.00. High: -5.25 to -10.

Legal Blindness FAQs

They may also struggle to focus when they're in a group of people or when there isn't enough light. A 20/80 vision profile is commonly referred to as nearsightedness. Is minus 7 legally blind? A legally blind prescription is anything that's lower than -2.5, which is the equivalent of 20/200 vision.

So +1.00 and -1.00 are quite modest; your eyesight isn't too bad, as you only need 1 diopter of correction. On the other hand, +4.50 and -4.50 represent a greater lack of clarity; you'll need a stronger prescription, at 4.5 diopters of correction.

Most people with glasses are nearsighted, which is why there is more talk about “negative vision scale” and negative vision numbers. Nearsightedness is categorized into mild, moderate, high, and extreme: Mild: -0.50 to -3. Moderate: -3.25 to -5.00. High: -5.25 to -10.