Your prescription
Everything you need to know about your script: what the numbers mean, how to send it to us and when you'll need a new one.
Reading your script
Your prescription lists the lens power for each eye. R (or OD) is your right eye and L (or OS) is your left. Here's what the columns mean.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| SPH (sphere) | The main lens power, in dioptres. A minus number corrects short-sightedness; a plus number corrects long-sightedness. |
| CYL (cylinder) | Extra power to correct astigmatism. It may be blank if you don't need it. |
| AXIS | The direction of the astigmatism correction, from 1 to 180. It only appears with a CYL value. |
| ADD | Extra power for close-up vision, used in bifocal and multifocal lenses. |
| PRISM | Corrects how your eyes line up. Most people don't have a prism value. |
| PD | Pupillary distance: the distance between your pupils in millimetres, used to centre your lenses. |
You don't need to understand every number. We check each script before your lenses are made, and we'll contact you if anything looks unusual.
Sending it to us
- Upload a clear photo or scan of your script when you order.
- Contact us with your name and order number and we'll arrange the easiest way to get it to us.
- Ask your optometrist to send it to us directly.
- Bring it along to an on-site fitting day if your workplace runs one.
Is it current?
Every prescription has an expiry date set by your optometrist. We can only make lenses from a current script. If yours has expired, or things have started to look blurry, book an eye test before you order.
Headaches, squinting or holding things further away to read are all signs it may be time for a new eye test.
Pupillary distance
Your PD makes sure the optical centre of each lens lines up with your eyes. Some optometrists include it on the script. If yours doesn't, we can measure it at a fitting, or your optometrist can provide it.
Your privacy
Your prescription is health information. We only use it to make and check your lenses, and we handle it in line with our privacy policy.