How to Read Your Prescription
If you can’t make sense of your eyeglass prescription, you’re not alone.
Here are some common prescription types to help you navigate yours.
Standard Format
This is the most common format with clearly printed fields for OD, OS, SPH, CYL, etc.; values are usually entered with computer, but may be handwritten by doctor.
Rx Notes:
Sphere (SPH) and Cylinder (CYL) always have a (+) or (-) sign.
On any prescription, PD can be written in different ways: e.g., 62 (Single PD), 33/31 (Dual PD), or 62/60 (Distance PD/Near PD).
Single Vision Lens Prescriptions
Single vision prescriptions are for patients who have trouble seeing either near or far (but not both), and the prescription will not have a value in the ADD column.
Progressive Lens Prescriptions
Progressive lenses are for patients who have trouble seeing both near and far. They essentially work the same way as bifocals, but they’re line-free and provide a graduated range of vision that varies from distant to close.
Progressive and bifocal prescriptions have a value in the ADD column, and they are almost always the same number for both eyes. However, if the letters PAL are next to one of the ADD numbers, or elsewhere on your prescription, this means your doctor indicated that you will need a different ADD correction for progressive lenses (versus lined bifocals). You’ll use the number with PAL next to it when entering the ADD value of your progressive prescription on Us. The PAL number will apply to both eyes.