How Do I Read My Prescription?

We’ve listed below some of the most common items that will appear on a prescription:

OD = Right eye parameters
OS = Left eye parameters
SPH = SPHERE power. It indicates the amount of lens power prescribed for nearsightedness (-) or farsightedness (+). 

CYL = CYLINDER power - the degree of astigmatism 
AXIS = The direction of astigmatism, measured in degrees (1-180) 
ADD = Provides the additional magnifying power of reading, progressive and computer lenses. This is always a positive value 

PD = Pupillary distance. It’s the distance between the center of one pupil to the center of the other pupil, measured in millimeters. Learn how to measure this value by yourself here with this article from our Optical Center.

To save you the hassle of having to write all this out, you can upload your prescription during the checkout process and our experienced opticians will process it on our end. 

Feel free to contact us with any questions regarding your prescription.

We’d recommend checking out this video to learn more about reading your prescription.