Before shopping for eyeglasses you must get to know your prescription glasses specifications. To the layman, understanding the prescription glasses specifications is a tough task. As soon as you visit an eye doctor for an eye check-up they will hand you over a prescription with a few abbreviations which an ordinary person does not understand. It is important that you find out more about these abbreviations as then you will be able to select a proper pair of glasses to correct your vision.
When your eye doctor hands you a piece of paper with some abbreviations on it you will want to find out what these abbreviations stand for. You should also make sure that your eye doctor has mentioned certain numbers as well as symbols which are normally provided to help you buy a pair of prescription eyeglasses. At the very least, your eye doctor must mention your PD or pupillary distance measurement. This measurement helps the technician find out what the distance between your pupils is. That in turn will allow him or her to know the correct optical center of your lenses and that will if done properly ensure that you are able to see clearly and without any blurriness.
The first abbreviation that you will want to know more about is called OD. This abbreviation stands for oculus dextrous which in simple terms means a person’s right eye. The other abbreviation is OS which is the short form for oculus sinister which in simple terms refers to your left eye. SPH is an abbreviation for sphere which is the main part of your prescription. The sphere tells the technician what the strength of your prescription is in dioptres. This measurement can be positive or negative. Positive numbers imply farsightedness while a negative number implies a near-sightedness problem.
CYL is another abbreviation for cylinder. This number signifies that you have an astigmatism problem. This number can again be positive or negative. Sometimes, the SPH number is written in this column. It is also possible that you may have astigmatism in one eye and not in the other eye. So, before you order your prescription eyeglasses you have to ensure that you know your prescription glasses specifications. The more you understand the meaning of various abbreviations in your prescription the easier it becomes for you to shop for the right items and it also becomes easier to buy the most durable and high quality glasses. Once you have understood your prescription glasses specifications you can shop with confidence at any store.