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prescriptions

Accurate eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions are necessary

for precise vision. Your optometrist will perform several tests including computerized autorefraction to determine the prescription for your best vision — actually often better than 20/20!

Once the prescription is determined your optometrist will prescribe either eyeglass lenses or contact lenses that best meet your individual needs. We will provide you with an eyeglass prescription at the completion of your visit. Contact lens prescriptions are more complex and may take more than one visit to finalize. Again, once the fitting is completed, we will provide you with a copy of your contact lens prescription. In general, both eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions are valid for one year from the date written.

We provide complete and convenient eyeglass and contact lens services in all offices and we also guarantee both the best price and your complete satisfaction on everything we do.

If you need a copy of your eyeglass or contact lens prescription for any reason, we are glad to provide it to you.

Need a copy of your prescription
As long as it is valid (usually 1 year from the date written for both glasses and contact lenses), we are happy to provide you with a copy of your prescription. You can request your prescription and it will be mailed to you within 2 business days. Of course, you can always pick up your prescription at your local office. We always strive to give you the best value on quality frames and contact lenses. If you purchase your glasses or replacement contact lenses from another source, we still recommend that you visit your local Doctors Vision Center optometrist for regular eye exams and annual contact lens evaluations.
Reading your eye prescription
On your prescription for eyeglasses, you will see numbers listed under the headings of OD and OS or R and L or Right and Left. OD and OS are the Latin abbreviations for right eye and left eye. In general, the further away from zero the number on your prescription is, the higher your prescription. A plus sign in front of the number means you are farsighted and a minus sign means you are nearsighted. The numbers represent diopters, the unit used to measure the focusing power of the lens your eye requires. Diopter is often abbreviated “D.” For example, if your prescription says -1.00 D, you have one diopter of nearsightedness, which is a relatively small amount. Higher numbers would indicate a higher prescription. Similarly, +1.00 D would be a small amount of farsightedness and +5 would be greater.
Prescriptions for astigmatism
For a person with astigmatism, there will be three consecutive numbers in your prescription.
  • The first set of numbers refers to the “spherical” portion of the prescription, which is the degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness.
  • The second set of numbers refers to the “cylinder” or astigmatic correction, and can be a negative or a positive number.
  • The last number is a number between 0 and 180 degrees. It describes the position of the astigmatism. Zero or 180 being a horizontal line and 90 being straight up and down.
Here are two examples of what prescriptions for eyes with astigmatism could look like:
    -2.00 = +1.50 x 180 This prescription describes an eye with 2 diopters of nearsightedness with 1.5 diopters of astigmatism and a position of the astigmatism at 180 degrees. +3.50 +3.00 x 45  This prescription describes an eye with 3.5 diopters of farsightedness, 3 diopters of astigmatism and position of the astigmatism at 45 degrees.