I have to wear contact lenses or I can't see a thing. I spent a lot of time making sure the contact lenses were hard to detect, but recently I've started getting some tinted contact lenses. It's actually really cool that I can make subtle shifts in my eye colour. It's funny when I see that people can tell there is something a bit funny or different with my appearance and they can't always tell what has changed. My optometrist is great about showing me new products and ideas that come out that might suit my prescription because he knows I'm always up for new things.
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When your optometrist writes you a new prescription for glasses, do you understand what they are saying about your eye health? A glasses prescription can be difficult to understand due to the terminology used, but each of the five main sections of your prescription contains valuable information that can help you understand how your eyesight is changing over the course of several eye tests. Numbers are used in each section of your prescription to indicate the strength of glasses you require, with higher numbers correlating to stronger lenses, but what other information is contained in your glasses prescription? Here's an overview of the five main sections that are used to make custom lenses for your glasses:
Sphere
The sphere section notes whether you are short-sighted or long-sighted. A plus sign is used to indicate you need glasses to see well at close range, while a minus sign is used to note you have trouble seeing distant objects. The plus or minus sign is linked to a number that tells you the focussing power required to ensure your new glasses enable you to see optimally, regardless of distance.
Cylinder
Astigmatism is a common eye problem that can cause blurred vision. It occurs when you have an uneven curve in your cornea that alters the angle light enters your eye. If you have astigmatism, this section of your prescription will indicate the severity of the curve in your cornea. Your glasses will be designed to correct the angle light enters your eye, so your vision will be clearer.
Axis
This section of your prescription notes the angle your lenses need to be positioned at to correct the curve in your cornea, so if you don't have astigmatism it won't be filled out. It's used by the processing lab when your lenses are being cut to fit your chosen frames. The number listed in this section will be between 0 and 180, and the higher the number, the greater the curve.
Prism
Symptoms that commonly prompt people to have their eyes tested, such as headaches and blurred vision, can be caused by a muscle imbalance that leads to eye misalignment. If your eyes are misaligned, your optometrist may determine you need a prism to correct the alignment. A prism is a piece of glass that's fitted onto the lens of your glasses and works by curving light as it enters your eye, which ensures light reaches the retina at the back of your eye at the optimal angle for clear vision. This section of your prescription notes the size of prism the lab should fit to your glasses.
Add
This section of your prescription is specifically for bifocal lenses, which allow you to see near and distant objects using a single pair of glasses. The information in this section relates to the part of your bifocal lenses that enable you to use them for reading, and the number tells the lab how much magnifying power is required.
If all the information on your glasses prescription is correct, you should be able to see comfortably with your new glasses as soon as you put them on. If you have any discomfort, they may need to be tweaked, so go back and speak to your optometrist as soon as possible.
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