Eyeglass prescription

Eyeglass Prescription

An eyeglass prescription is a written order by an optometrist or ophthalmologist that specifies the value of all parameters the optician needs to create and fit eyeglasses to the end user.

Pronunciation

Eyeglass: /ˈaɪˌɡlæs/
Prescription: /prɪˈskrɪpʃən/

Etymology

Eyeglass: The term "eyeglass" comes from the Middle English word "eyeglas", which is a combination of "eye" and "glas" (glass).
Prescription: The term "prescription" originates from the Latin word "praescriptio", which means "to write before".

Components of an Eyeglass Prescription

An eyeglass prescription includes several components:

Sphere (SPH): This indicates the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness.
Cylinder (CYL): This indicates the amount of lens power for astigmatism.
Axis: This describes the lens meridian that contains no cylinder power to correct astigmatism.
Prism: This is the amount of prismatic correction in a prescription.
Pupillary Distance (PD): This is the distance between the centers of the pupils in each eye.

Related Terms

Optometrist: A healthcare professional who provides primary vision care.
Ophthalmologist: A medical doctor who specializes in eye and vision care.
Optician: A technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses corrective lenses for the correction of a person's vision.
Diopter: The unit of measurement of the optical power of a lens or curved mirror.
Astigmatism: A common vision condition that causes blurred vision due to the irregular shape of the cornea or the lens inside the eye.
Nearsightedness (Myopia): A condition where close objects appear clearly, but far ones don't.
Farsightedness (Hyperopia): A condition where distant objects may be seen more clearly than objects that are near.

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Eyeglass prescription
Wikipedia's article - Eyeglass prescription

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