Reading your prescription

Have your eyes checked first

If you have not had an eye exam recently, please see your local eye doctor before ordering.

Your prescription for eyeglasses and for contact lenses is not the same. Use the one that matches what you are buying.

What a prescription looks like

Contact lenses
Contact lenses
Includes BC and DIA — the fit of the lens on your eye.
Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses
Includes PD — the distance between your pupils.

Reading the numbers

①

SPH — Myopia / Hyperopia

SPH (Power) is written with a minus (−) if you are nearsighted, or a plus (+) if you are farsighted. For contact lenses you will also see BC (Base Curve) and DIA (Diameter), which decide how the lens sits on your eye.

②

CYL & AXIS — Astigmatism

If there are numbers in these columns, you need astigmatism correction. You will need toric contact lenses, or astigmatism correction on your eyewear.

③

ADD — Progressive

Usually written with plus (+) numbers. It means you need correction for both near and far vision — multifocal contact lenses, or progressive lenses on your eyewear.

④

PD — Pupillary Distance

Eyewear only. The distance between your pupils, so that you look through the centre of each lens.

Still not sure?

Send us your prescription and we will tell you which lens fits.

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