How to read your lens prescription

What do the numbers mean?

When you visit the eye doctor, you receive a prescription with values that can seem confusing. Here we explain each one:

Indicates the lens power. A negative number means nearsightedness, positive means farsightedness.

Corrects astigmatism. Not everyone has this value.

Indicates the orientation of astigmatism, in degrees from 1 to 180.

Used in progressive or bifocal lenses for near vision.

The distance between your pupils in millimeters. Essential for correctly centering the lenses.