Your prescription
The Specsavers guide to your eye examination
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Once your eye examination is complete and all the necessary tests have been done, the optometrist will give you a copy of your prescription. This contains the precise measurements of the type of prescription lenses that you will need in order to have the clearest, most comfortable vision. But what do the numbers and words actually mean?
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SPH (sphere) - the amount of long (+) or short (-) sight; the higher the number, the stronger prescription lenses required. This can influence your choice of frames. The higher the prescription, the greater the curve of the lens. CYL (cylinder) - the amount of astigmatism, or visual distortion, that is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. AXIS - the direction of the astigmatism, measured in degrees. |
PRISM - if there is muscle imbalance between your eyes, prism lenses will provide the correction you need. BASE - the direction of any prismatic correction required. ADD - the amount of additional correction needed to focus at close distances. If a measurement is shown in this section, it means you have different prescriptions for distance and reading. Bifocal or varifocal lenses may be needed. |
