Prescription is often provided in the following format:
The following example shows how the above prescription is entered to the prescription form:

Prescription can also be provided in this format:

In the additional note field, please enter "PD 68/65".

O.D. - Denotes Right eye. This is sometimes written as R.
O.S. - Denotes Left eye. This is sometimes written as L.

Sphere (SPH)

Indicates how near-sighted or far-sighted you are. It's measured in diopter.
+ indicates far-sighted vision
- indicates near-sighted vision
"Plano" or "Pl" means 0.00.

 

Cylinder (CYL) 

Cylinder measures in diopters the degree of astigmatism that you have.
Some prescriptions are written in minus(-) and some are written in plus(+). Prescription provided by your optometrist usually have (-) cylinders.

AXIS
The Axis is a number anywhere between 0 and 180 degrees. It reveals the orientation of the astigmatism. Sometimes it is written after the "X" sign in the prescription.

Near Add
Near addition. Prescriptions for people who are over 40 years old usually have "Near Add" to indicate plus power for near distance vision. If there is only one Near ADD value on your prescription, this means that the same Near ADD power is used for both eyes.

Int. Add
Intermediate addition. Prescriptions for people who are over 40 years old sometimes have "Int. Add" to indicate plus power for intermediate distance (approx. 65 centimetres) vision. Int. Add is required for making computer glasses. Optometrists do not usually provide Int. Add values in the prescription unless the prescription is used for computer glasses.

PD
PD is the distance between the centre of two pupils measured in millimetres (mm). Many optometrists do not provide PD measurement in the prescription as a standard practice unless requested. We recommend you always ask your optometrist to provide PD measurement in your prescription. Please read more information about PD on the following questions.

Eye examination by your optometrist not only checks your prescription, it also checks on the health of your eyes for possible infection and diseases. You should have periodic and thorough eye examinations as part of routine primary care because many eye diseases do not have obvious symptoms. In most cases, early detection and treatment of eye diseases can help reduce your risk for permanent vision loss. Adult between16 to 60 years of age should be examined at least once every two years or as advised by your optometrist. Contact lenses wearer should be checked at least annually. People who are over the age of 60 and those who have history of diabetes, high blood pressure or history of any eye disease or eye surgery should be examined annually or as recommended by your ophthalmologist or optometrist.

 

PD is the distance between the centre of two pupils when your eyes are looking at a distance object in the front that are 60 centimetres away or beyond. It is measured in millimetres (mm). Many optometrists do not provide PD measurement in the prescription as a standard practice unless requested. You may contact the optometrist who made glasses for you previously to obtain the PD value if PD is not written on the script. We recommend you always ask your optometrist to provide PD measurement in your prescription. This measurement is used for fitting prescription lenses.

The average PD is 60mm for women and 64mm for men.

   

Remeber to ask your optometrist to measure the PD for you next time when you visit the optometrist. Meanwhile, you can have your PD measured with a ruler and the help of a friend, if your prescription is not strong or if you are going to order single vision lenses, by following this instruction:

1. Put the millimetre ruler on the bridge of your nose.
2. Ask someone to stand approximately 60 centimetres away from you and measure the distance between the centres of your pupils (the black circle in your eyes) with your eyes looking at a distance object in the front.
Repeat a few times until a consistent result is obtained.

3. You can measure pupillary distance yourself by using a mirror. You will stand at least 30 centimetres away from the mirror, place a ruler in front of your eyes and measure the distance between your pupils with your eyes looking at yourself in the mirror. Repeat a few times until a consistent result is obtained.

We recommend you always ask your optometrist to measure the PD for you. Only measure the PD yourself as a last resort. It is important to get your PD from your optometrist if your prescription has high power or if you are going to order bifocal, progressive or computer lenses.

Sometimes, your prescription would have two PD values, for example "61/58". These two numbers are long distance PD and short distance PD. The PD on our web site refers to long distance PD, i.e. the PD when you are looking at distance objects that are 60cms away or beyond. In this example, the distance pd is 61mm. Short distance pd is the distance between the centre of two pupils when you are looking at a object that is 35cms away from your eyes, for example reading a book. In this example, the short distance PD is 58mm.

Please enter the large number, in this example 61, in the PD field on our web site. Then in the additional note field on the prescription screen, please enter both numbers as, for example "PD 61/58".

Sometimes, your prescription would have two small numbers as PDs, for example "31/31". The two numbers are mono-PDs which are distance between the center of the nose to the center of each pupil. In this example, mono-PD for the right eye is 31 and the mono-PD for the left eye is 31. Most people would have the same mono-PDs for both eyes, but some people have one mono-PD slightly different from the other. The PD required on the form on our web site is binocular PD, i.e. the distance between the certer of two pupils. Binocuar PD is the sum of two mono-PDs. In this example, please enter 62 in the PD field on the form. Then in the additional note field on the prescription screen, please enter both numbers, for example "PD 31/31".

If you cannot read your prescription you should verify it with your optometrist. If you wish our customer service team to take a look, you can fax your prescription to 03 -95023518 along with your optometrist’s contact phone number and your email address . Our customer service team will enter the prescription for you. You will be notified by email once your prescription is ready.

The CYL and AXIS are to correct astigmatism so if you don't have astigmatism you may not have a CYL or AXIS value on your prescription.

If you enter you details incorrectly then you need to contact our customer service immediately so that we can change the prescription before the frame is sent to the lab for fitting. It is important that you do this since lenses being cut for fitting cannot be refunded. However, the replacement of lenses can be made at your own cost.

 

No. Contact lens prescription can only be used for purchasing contact lens. You will need a prescription for eyeglasses in order to purchase eyeglasses or prescription sunglasses.