5. How to read my contact lens prescription?
Optometrist uses standard terms, abbreviations and measurements to write contact lens prescriptions. It may look like a secret code, but it's really quite simple to decipher.
Terms | Abbr. | Description |
OS (Left Eye) |
OD (Right Eye) |
Power/Sphere | PWR/SPH | A number between -20 and +20. | -2.00 (example) | -2.50 (example) |
Base Curve | BC | A number between 8.0 and 10.0 or a phrase, such as steep or flat | 8.9 | 8.9 |
Diameter | DIA | A number between 13.0 and 15.0. | 14.0 | 14.0 |
Cylendar | CYL | A number between -0.75 and -2.25, for toric lenses only | -1.00 | -1.00 |
Axis | AXIS | A number between 10 and 180 (step 10), for toric lenses only | 20 | 160 |
Colour | COL | For coloured lenses only | Green | Green |
Brand Name | Brand | Name of Lenses. | Acuvue Oasys | Acuvue Oasys |
Lens Type | TYPE | How ofter your lenses must be replaced (daily, weekly, etc.) | Daily | Daily |
A toric lens prescription can be found from the lens package, and almost always are written in a format as the below sample (Sph Cyl Axis or Sph Cyl/Axis)