A member asked:

Can you tell me what my eye glasses prescription means?

5 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

Optical correction: The prescription for glasses describes the optical correction necessary to help you achieve the best vision. The first number describes the spherical correction (+or-)and the next 2 numbers detail the cylindrical correction (+ or -) and the angle of the correction necessary to overcome any astigmatism (ovalness0 detected by the refraction exam of the eye.

Answered 6/25/2018

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It's a math formula: The prescription tells the lens maker how to shape the lens (glasses, contacts) that will best correct your vision. The first number is the amount of nearsightedness (-) or farsightedness (+) to be corrected. The next number is the amount of astigmatism to treat and the number after the "x" is the angle of the astigmatism to be treated.

Answered 2/16/2017

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