Understanding optical prescription

andygb

I had an eye test the other day, and decided to take the prescription and look for glasses at my leisure.
I have had two identical pairs of reading glasses for the past 14 years, and although they are good for screen work in good lighting conditions, they are no longer strong enough for reading.
So, my eye test revealed the following figures -



Right eye - sph +3.00, Cyl -0.75, Axis 95.0


Left eye - sph +3.25, Cyl -0.5, Axis 100.0


I do not require glasses for distance, so this was for near/reading. So, basically what does it all mean, and could I simply pick a cheap pair of glasses straight off the shelf and going by these figures give them a go before splashing out on a more expensive pair?

theoretica

andygb wrote: »

Right eye - sph +3.00, Cyl -0.75, Axis 95.0

Left eye - sph +3.25, Cyl -0.5, Axis 100.0

I do not require glasses for distance, so this was for near/reading. So, basically what does it all mean, and could I simply pick a cheap pair of glasses straight off the shelf and going by these figures give them a go before splashing out on a more expensive pair?

There are two bits to a prescription - the sphere bit here is a simple magnifying lens - the bigger the number the stronger it is. The cylinder is a measure of how off-round your eyes are and the axis is in which direction.


You will not find an off the shelf pair with these numbers. Off the shelf reading glasses have both eyes the same, and only have simple magnifying lenses, such as +3 in both eyes, without the details that would make them personally suited to you.