Learn more about your prescription and how it relates to your lenses and frame choice. This will guide you when using our new Online Shop.
Your prescription will be in a format similar to the example above. The prescription is made up of 3 main parts – Sphere, Cylinder (Cyl) and Axis. You may only have Sphere, but if you have Cyl then you will always also have Axis, these two go hand in hand. You have cyl in your prescription when your eye is shaped like a rugby ball as opposed to a football, this is called Astigmatism. The Axis tell us at what angle the Cyl sits.
Add
You will only have a reading add if you are presbyopic and need different prescriptions for Distance (far away) and Near (close work). This Add will determine your Near prescription and tell us what add is needed for Bifocals or Varifocals.
Prism
Prism is added to a prescription to correct a muscle imbalance and eliminate any double vision that this imbalance creates. If you have Prism in your prescription, we would recommend choosing your glasses in store as opposed to online, or we are available to give you advice when using our Online Shop. Prism adds thickness to lenses but depending on where the Prism is, depends on where in the lens the thickness will be.
When it comes to choosing your lenses, it’s important to consider your prescription. It determines thickness and weight of lenses. If you have a high Plus (+) prescription, then your lenses will have thickness in the centre. If you have a high Minus (-) prescription, then there will be edge thickness to the outside of your lenses.
Depending on your prescription and preference, there are a number of options for thinning the lenses therefore reducing thickness and weight. It’s crucial to think about your frame choice too, as certain sizes and shapes can help hide thickness and improve the finished look of your glasses. Remember, the thicker the lenses, the heavier your glasses will be.
Now you know more about your prescription, see our blog on Choosing the Right Lenses for help with selecting lenses and see our Frame Selection Advice blog for our top tips when choosing your frame.