How to Fill the Prescription Form

Your prescription looks more complicated than it is. It is a small grid, one row per eye, and every box on our form maps to one on yours.

The two rows

  • OD (oculus dexter) is your right eye.
  • OS (oculus sinister) is your left eye.

Some prescriptions write "R" and "L" instead. They mean the same thing.

The columns

  • SPH (Sphere) — the main correction. A minus number means you are short-sighted, a plus number long-sighted.
  • CYL (Cylinder) — astigmatism correction. Often blank; blank means zero, and you can leave it empty.
  • Axis — a number from 0 to 180 that goes with CYL. If you have a CYL value you must have an Axis, and the other way round.
  • Add — extra reading power, only on progressive and bifocal prescriptions. Usually between +0.75 and +3.00, and often the same for both eyes.
  • PD — your pupillary distance. See How to Measure Your PD.

Three things worth double-checking

  1. The signs. -2.00 and +2.00 are completely different lenses. Copy the minus and plus exactly.
  2. Right and left. It is the easiest thing in the world to swap them.
  3. The date. Prescriptions expire, usually after one to two years. An old one will make new glasses feel wrong.

If you would rather not type it

Choose Upload a Photo when you select your lenses and attach a picture of the prescription — it stays attached to your order. Or choose Send It Later and we will email you for it after checkout.