Prescription help

How to Read Your Prescription

We realize that a prescription can be confusing to read. We have put together a list of terms to make the process easier to understand. It is important to know how to read and understand your prescription before ordering a pair of CliC prescription glasses. 

OD (Right Eye)

Short for oculus dexter, Latin for right eye. The OD row is listed first on your prescription.

OS (Left Eye)

Short for oculus sinister, Latin for left eye.

Near Vision (NV)

Your prescription is for reading and close-up work only.

Distance Vision (DV)

Your prescription corrects your ability to see things far away.

Pupillary Distance (PD)

The distance in millimeters between the centers of your pupils, written as one number (single PD) or two (dual PD). Learn how to find or measure it.

Expiration date

Eyeglass prescriptions are typically valid for one to two years from your exam, depending on your state. Check the date before you order.

Sphere (SPH)

The lens power needed to see clearly. A minus sign means nearsighted; a plus sign means farsighted.

Minus (−)

A minus sign next to a number indicates nearsightedness - a person would experience trouble seeing things far away.

Plus (+)

A plus sign indicates farsightedness - a person would experience trouble seeing something that is close.

Cylinder (CYL)

The cylinder on your prescription indicates the lens power needed to correct an astigmatism. This means your eye's cornea or lens is not completely spherical.

If blank it means you do not have an astigmatism.

Axis (AX)

Means the front of your eye is irregularlly shaped. Anyone with an astigmatism will have a number from 1 to 180 on their prescription that determines the orientation of their astigmatism correction.

Addition (ADD)

For bifocal and progressive prescriptions - this number indicates the added power needed to correct your near vision if your prescription is primarily for distance correction.

Entering your prescription

Enter each value exactly as written on your prescription including the plus or minus sign. If your prescription has no cylinder value, leave CYL at 0.00. You'll also upload a photo or PDF of your prescription so we can verify it before processing your order.

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