See below to learn the meaning of SPH, CYL Axis, Prism, PD, and more. A minus sign () means it's correcting nearsighted astigmatism, while plus sign(+) means it's correcting farsighted astigmatism. 14% OFF Frames + 30% OFF BlueGuard Details, The sphere (Sph) specifies the strength of lens required to correct your focus - a plus sphere to correct long-sightedness (hyperopic - difficulty focusing on close objects) and a minus to correct short sightedness (myopia - difficulty focusing on distant objects.). Essentially, OD means right eye, and OS means left eye. Cylinder means the amount of lens power for astigmatism and shows the differences between the greatest and weakest powers of the eye. The CYL and AXIS compensate for an astigmatism. The number under the OD and OS measurement in your prescription is measured in diopters. Whats more, if an eyeglass prescription includes cylinder power, it also must include an Axis value, which follows the CYL power. What is SPH and CYL in eye prescription? The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is "spherical," or equal in all meridians of the eye. The 20/20 vision is the correct vision for normal eyes. It describes the amount of lens measured in diopters needed for good vision. It may be that nothing is filled in for that part of the prescription. You may find a number listed which helps determine the amount of lens power that is needed to correct astigmatism. Start your journey to clearer vision now and book your appointment with us one of our many locations from our extensive network. This is because these people don't have astigmatism. The good news is, the information on your eyeglass prescription makes a lot of sense once you understand all the acronyms. When an eyeglass prescription has cylinder power (CYL value), the axis value directs where to place the power in the . By subscribing to Eyebuydirect text messaging on 81096, you agree to receive recurring autodialed marketing text msgs to the mobile number used at opt-in. It can be used when this type of eye prescription is temporary. In contact lenses, the 'Axis' is generally only available in 10 steps. Each number indicates information about your eye, vision, and how much correction is needed to achieve clear vision. A Prism is to try and correct a lazy eye and indicates a more delicate condition, this is included with a prescription to correct some special conditions or some eye disorders (like squints) that require the focussed image to move position. Some eye doctors have modernized this and replaced OD with RE (right eye) and OS with LE. All LASIK savings offers are valid only on bladeless custom LASIK based off the LASIK procedure book price. An astigmatism is where the eye is shaped slightly like a rugby ball or referred to as toric, not a perfect sphere like a football. A minus (-) symbol next to this number means you're nearsighted, and a plus (+) symbol means the prescription is meant to correct farsightedness. Reading your eyeglass prescription can feel like reading a foreign language written in math. Your prescription gives us, your Opticians or Doctors recommendation for clear and comfortable vision. The Add, short for Reading Addition, is the additional correction required for reading, this can be used to make either reading glasses, bifocal glasses or Varifocal glasses. What is CYL, AXIS and SPH? Your vision prescription may also have a column labeled "OU." Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or special offers, previous surgery, insurance, or vision care plan savings. CYL or Cylinder is used to identify how much lens power in your prescription is for astigmatism if you suffer from it. Impact resistance and prescription compliance with AS/NZS 1337.6:2010. They are in decimal form and generally are written in quarter-diopter (0.25 D) increments. Additional information provided on a contact lens prescription includes: The base curve value of a contact lens typically ranges from 8.0 to 10.0. Page published on Wednesday, February 27, 2019. The SPH number on a glasses prescription is listed as a positive (+) or negative (-) number. Main defect of the eye In ophthalmology, hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism and presbyopia are the main defects of the eyes that can be corrected with glasses or lenses. What does Axis mean for glasses? 'Add' +2.50 - should be entered for both eyes). The 90-degree meridian is the vertical meridian of the eye, and the 180-degree meridian is the horizontal meridian. Specific parts of Rx: To expand on dr. Proffitt's answer, sph = sphere; if this is a negative number, the prescription is a myopic or nearsighted prescription and a positive number dictates a farsighted or hyperopic prescription. Your eye doctor can determine these numbers during an eye check-up. Please speak with your NVISION Eye Center for additional details. This means that the horizontal (180-degree) meridian of the eye has no added power for astigmatism and the vertical (90-degree) meridian gets the added -0.50 D from the cylinder column. This eye needs a cylinder of -0.75 and an axis of 173 to correct astigmatism, and an ADD power of +2.25 to correct near vision. Melody Huang is an optometrist and freelance health writer. What is the normal eye SPH, CYL, and Axis value? The temple should be long enough to keep the frame securely in place without any pressure on your ears. Prism correction prescriptions are for people with diplopia (double vision) due to eye misalignment. When the shape of the human eye cornea changes, the large changes in the measurement of the axis is seen though, this is rare. It indicates the amount of lens power needed to correct astigmatism, measured in diopters. DS simply means no power is present in the CYL box so leave this as NONE or DS. If the axis is 180 degrees, you may see it noted as x180. Thats why weve put together a short guide to help you learn how to read a glasses prescription so you can get to ordering your new set of eyeglasses as quickly as possible. Michael is the content strategist and a lead content writer for Vision Center. For more information, please see our. There will also be a number in the axis column thats needed for astigmatism correction. For example, SPH -2.50 D CYL +5.00 Axis 40 means you have a nearsightedness of -2.50 dioptics with an astigmatism of +5.00 along the 40 degree axis. We use cookies to personalize content, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. If a prescription includes cylinder power, it must be followed by an axis. Astigmatism is often present at birth, but it can develop, or become more severe, as you get older. 3. Medically Reviewed by Dr. Melody Huang, O.D. The lens power amount is, therefore, measured in D (diopters) for farsightedness or nearsightedness. Best Place to Buy Contacts: 1800 Contacts. The cylinder power (CYL value) is the lens power for astigmatism. This is because eyeglass lenses are worn some distance (usually about 12 millimeters) from the surface of the eye, whereas contact lenses rest directly on the cornea of the eye. CYL (or Cylinder) indicates you have a condition where the cornea and/or lens of the eye are irregularly shaped causing blurred vision, in other words, astigmatism. The sphere is measured in Dioptres, your prescription may have the word Plano or Pl or an infinity sign, this means that you are neither long nor short sighted but zero power for the Sphere, however you may have astigmatism a CYL and AXIS on your prescription. Nowadays, most of us wear glasses and most of us just take the prescription to the optical store to pick out a pair of glasses. Subject to credit approval. If your glasses are for distance only, this will not be an issue. One FREE Frame with SV 1.56 index lenses are included ! Axis. Your eye doctor may also write specific lens recommendations on your eyeglass prescription. Reverse the process to find the measurement for your left pupil. Cylinder (CYL) Cylinder indicates the amount of lens power needed for astigmatism. +4.50 -1.50 x90. This number is always positive, even if it doesnt have a plus sign (+) in front of it. Only used for multifocal (progressive/bifocal) lenses. Four abbreviations are used for prism direction: BU = base up; BD = base down; BI = base in (toward the wearer's nose); BO = base out (toward the wearer's ear). first one in left eye sph + 1.75 cyl -150 axis 175. right eye sph +050 cyl - 0.25 axis 8. an my new one in the left +2.00 -2.75 168. in the right +0.75 -0.50 15. can my eyes change so fast or should i tell them i need . Interpupillary distance She believes in making medical and scientific information more accessible to people to help them make informed and unbiased decisions. Every NVISION patient is different. In general, the further away a number is from 0, the stronger your prescription and the more vision correction you require. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreements for their applicable terms. The CYL stands for Cylinder. The measurement is the Dioptre, and most values range from +0.50 to +3.50 and will go up in steps of 0.25. The term means that the correction for your sight is spherical. + .50 diopter sphere corrects for farsighted or presbyopia. In some cases, optometrists may even place a temporary Fresnel prism to show how an actual prism would work. An accurate contact lens prescription can be written only after a contact lens fitting has been performed and the prescribing doctor has evaluated your eyes' response to the lenses and to contact lens wear in general. The cylinder power is the strength of astigmatism correction needed. Qualified patients must book their procedure by 2/28/2023. When present, the amount of prism is indicated in either metric or fractional English units (0.5 or , for example), and the direction of the prism is indicated by noting the relative position of its "base" (thickest edge). Generally, it will range from +0.75 to +3.00 D and will be the same power for both eyes. (Note that this is different than a contact lens prescription). The AXIS stands for Axis and SPH stands for Sphere. If there is a minus sign next to your SPH prescription, it means you are nearsighted. Eye doctors write prescriptions this way because, when they face you, they see your right eye on their left (first) and your left eye on their right (second). The term "sphere" means that the correction for nearsightedness or farsightedness is "spherical," or equal in all meridians of the eye. Spectacle lenses (and contact lenses partially) are described in terms of what is called "sphero-cylindrical notation." The reason for this is mostly historical, reflecting how opticians learned to correct refractive visual problems with lenses that required grinding to a shape specified by the eye doctor. The cylinder and axis together help correct astigmatism. This indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. When shes not working, Dr. Huang loves reviewing new skin care products, trying interesting food recipes, or hanging with her adopted cats. . Eye doctors use the abbreviations OD and OS to denote your right and left eyes. Axis (Ax) Like Cylinder, this only applies to astigmatism prescriptions. It is listed as a positive or negative number, and it indicates the power of correction you need. It's defined by a number between 1 and 180 degrees. The further away the number is from zero (assuming no correction is needed), the stronger the prescription is. Those two values are cylinder and axis. 2000-2023 AAV Media, LLC. Cylinder, abbreviated CYL, follows sphere power in your eyeglass prescription. The axis is labeled as a number from 1 to 180. All frame measurements can be found in the details tab on our product pages. Multifocal eyewear, such as bifocals or trifocals, are for people with eyeglass prescriptions that have an added value. What does SPH mean for glasses? Learn about LASIK success rates and side effects, Learn about the costs associated with LASIK, Benefits of LASIK for astigmatism correction, How to find vision insurance that covers LASIK, Compare PRK and LASIK procedures and results, 14 tips for protecting your vision after LASIK. Astigmatism correction is not spherical. What does Axis mean for glasses? 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