If you have never had your eyes tested before, you may be unsure regarding what the prescription means and how to read it correctly. It can be a little bit complicated and overwhelming! One thing that may have you feeling a little bit perplexed is the axis eye prescription. Is an eye prescription axis 100 normal? What does it mean if you have an axis 175 eye prescription? Below, we will reveal everything you need to know so you can get a better understanding.
What Does Axis Mean in An Eye Prescription?
The axis is a number on your eye prescription to indicate the direction any cylindrical power in your lenses must be positioned. This is required for individuals with astigmatism.
The number reveals the angle of orientation in degrees, with the number ranging from 1 to 180. The latter (180) is a horizontal position, and a vertical position would be represented by the number 90.
What Is a Normal Axis Eye Prescription?
You may be wondering what a normal axis eye prescription is. One thing that we must stress is that if you have a higher axis number, this does not mean you have a stronger prescription. This figure is merely used to describe the position of your astigmatism.
If you have “normal” eyesight, there would not be an axis number, as you would not have astigmatism.
However, the most “normal” eyes with this condition would tend to have approximately 0.50 dioptres of negative cylinder power with a 180 axis number.
Individuals with a normal eye axis will typically have clearer and stronger vision because the light falls on the correct place on the retina.
How to Read Your Eyeglass Prescription
Aside from the axis, there are a number of other parts of your eye prescription you need to understand:
- SPH – This stands for Sphere, which describes the amount of lens you require for good vision. This is measured in diopters.
- OU, OS, and OD – OU stands for Oculus Uterque, meaning both eyes. OS stands for Oculus Sinister, which is your left eye. Finally, OD stands for Oculus Dexter, which refers to your right eye.
- PD – This is the distance between the centres of your pupils, with PD standing for Pupillary Distance.
- ADD – Standing for Addition, this refers to any added correction that may be required for reading or intermediate use.
- CYL – This is a reference to the amount of lens power required for astigmatism, with CYL standing for Cylinder.
- BVD – This stands for Back Vertex Distance, which will represent the distance from the apex of the cornea to the back of the lens of your glasses.
- Near, Inter, and Dist. – These are references to the Distance of the prescription required to correct either long or short-sightedness.
So there you have it: everything you need to know about how to read your eyeglass prescription, including thorough details on what a spectacle prescription axis is and what this means for you in terms of your eyesight. We hope that this has helped you to get a better understanding. For any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
