How to Read Your Prescription
Understand every number on your eye prescription before you order lenses.
Terms on your prescription
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OD / RE | Right eye |
| OS / LE | Left eye |
| OU | Both eyes |
| SPH (Sphere) | Main lens power in dioptres. Minus (–) means difficulty seeing far (short-sighted). Plus (+) means difficulty seeing near (long-sighted). |
| CYL (Cylinder) | Extra power to correct astigmatism (blurred or stretched vision). Blank means no astigmatism. |
| AXIS | Direction of the cylinder power, from 0 to 180. It is always written together with CYL. |
| ADD | Additional power for reading, used in bifocal and progressive lenses. |
| PD | Pupillary distance – the distance between the centres of your pupils in mm. |
Which lens should I choose?
- Only SPH / CYL values → Single Vision lenses.
- An ADD value is written → Bifocal / Progressive lenses.
- No power, only for screens or style → Zero Power lenses (blue cut).
Not sure? Upload a photo of your prescription while selecting lenses, or WhatsApp it to us at +91-9219949495 and we will help you choose.
