Understanding Your
Contact Lens Prescriptions
Buying contact lens from a vendor outside of your eye doctor’s
office has never been more affordable and convenient. There
are numerous online and offline retailers that provide excellent
values for your eyecare needs. Most of these retailers offer
the latest and most popular styles of contact lens that are
on the market at a price you can afford.
If you are thinking about purchasing contact lens from an optical
chain, the one necessary requirement is a current contact lens
prescription. Although it is not necessary that you have a thorough
understanding of what every decimal and abbreviation on your
prescriptions means, having a basic understanding of your prescription
will give you insight into understanding your eye’s health.
Most prescriptions will have the abbreviations OS, OD, or OU
on them. OS means left eye. OD means right eye. OU means each
eye. Whichever abbreviation(s) you have, there will probably
be a column underneath it detailing the specifics for that eye.
With OU the prescription will be the same for both eyes.
Other abbreviations that may be found on your contact lens
prescription are CYL, BC, DIA, PWR, ADD, and AXIS. All you need
to know concerning these abbreviations is that they deal with
various measurements for your contact lens. These abbreviations
will almost always have a number associated with them.
Another common mark on contact lens prescriptions is the +
sign or - sign. Both signs will be in front of a number that
generally contains a decimal. The plus sign simply tells how
much visual correction is needed for farsightedness. The minus
sign refers to the correction needed for nearsightedness.
The rest of the information on your prescription should be
pretty self explanatory. This information includes the brand
name of your contact lens, color (if needed), and perhaps the
replacement schedule for your contacts. Of course, your eye
practitioner’s name and contact information should be
on the prescription as well. Many online optical vendors require
the optometrist’s name and information in order to verify
the prescription.
By understanding the basics of your contact lens prescription,
you can increase your knowledge of your visual health. This
will aid you in filling out forms when you are buying your contact
lens online. With this basic knowledge, not only can you save
yourself time and error, but also impress your friends with
your new optical knowledge.
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