What the Words and Numbers on Your Glasses Prescription Mean (2024)

FAQs

What the Words and Numbers on Your Glasses Prescription Mean? ›

Lens power is measured in diopters. The higher the number, the stronger the prescription. For example, “-5.00” written under sphere means that you are very nearsighted and need a five diopter correction. You may also see diopters expressed in decimals, such as 1.25 or 4.75. Cylinder.

An example would be if your prescription shows a reading of -1.00, it means that you have one diopter of nearsightedness. The larger this number gets, the more severe the nearsightedness is. In addition to the intensity of the diopter measurement, these numbers will also determine how thick your lenses need to be.

OD, OS and OU or ODS

The first abbreviations explain which eye the prescription is for. They are abbreviations for Latin terms for your eyes: OD: stands for oculus dexter, or your right eye. OS: stands for oculus sinister, or your left eye. OU or ODS: stands for oculus uterque/oculus dexter et sinister, or both eyes.

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).

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.

While 20/20 vision is considered to be perfect, it's not actually what we think of as perfect. Many people, mostly children, have better than 20/20 vision. Healthy eyes can easily go down to the 20/15 level with some accuracy.

A -5 eye and a -7 eye are not much differently at risk, but both are significantly more at risk of retinal problems than a more normal, non-myopic eye. These are rare, though, so no cause for alarm. Just know in advance the signs and symptoms of a retinal tear or detachment if you are very myopic.

There are three sets of numbers listed on a pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses. Each has a specific meaning, but all are meant to reflect the size measurements of the glasses. The numbers on the glasses you wear will have different markings than glasses worn by someone who has a head of a different size.

Astigmatism is the medical term that means the shape of your eye is more curved than it should be. It's a type of refractive error — an extremely common eye condition that causes blurred vision. Usually, eyes are round, like a baseball. If you have astigmatism, your eye is shaped like a football or the back of a spoon.

Can you figure out your own glasses prescription? ›

Remember to request your prescription details from the office where you last had an eye exam. They're required to share a copy with you. If you're looking for other options to find out your prescription based on existing glasses, there are other scanning apps like the one GlassesUSA offers.

In general, bad eyesight refers to any vision less than 20/20. This is a general standard followed by most optometrists—any vision different than this often needs some kind of vision correction to clearly see the world and safely navigate the environment.

TEMPORARY: Removable markings on the lens that are typically non-permanent ink markings and removed prior to wear. These markings are often utilized to position the lens during layout blocking and to verify the power and position of the lens during inspection and dispensing. 2.1. 5.2.

-1.25 power lens correction is relatively mild. A person who has -1.25 vision is likely to wear prescription eyeglasses. To improve their vision, many people with -1.25 vision may choose to wear only over-the-counter reader glasses.

Usually astigmatism above 1 degree causes much visual disturbance. If your vision is affected a lot, you should wear glasses to help your eyes not have to adjust too much. For people with low or low myopia, if eye fatigue and dry eyes do not appear but can still see clearly, they do not need to wear glasses regularly.

The severity of astigmatism can be classified as follows: Mild Astigmatism < 1.00 dioptre Moderate Astigmatism 1.00 to 2.00 dioptres Severe Astigmatism 2.00 to 3.00 dioptres Extreme Astigmatism > 3.00 dioptres. Astigmatic people may suffer from headaches, tired eyes and sensitivity to bright lights.

What Do the Numbers on Glasses Mean? Glasses Measurements. Close. You'll find up to three numbers on glasses frames, and they stand for the lens width, bridge width, and temple length. These numbers are written on the inside of one arm and may be separated by spaces or dashes.

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.

Typically, the further away from zero, the stronger the prescription. For example, 3.50 means that more correction is needed in comparison to a 2.25. The plus and minus let you know if you are near or farsighted.

One of the most severe types of eyesight problems is Is-9 or 20/200 vision. Is-9 eyesight bad is a severe condition where a person can only see at 20 feet what a person with perfect vision can see at 200 feet.