There is a list of medical abbreviations.

If you need vision correction after an eye exam, your doctor will tell you if you are nearsighted or farsighted.They can tell you that you have an issue.

If you get a diagnosis, you will be given a prescription for corrective eyewear.There are a number of abbreviated terms in your prescription.

Knowing OD and OS is the first step in understanding your eye doctor's prescription.These are abbreviations for Latin words.

OU is an abbreviation for "oculus uterque," which means "both eyes" in Latin.

Although OS and OD are abbreviations used in prescriptions for eyeglasses, contact lens, and eye medicines, there are some doctors who have modernized their forms by replacing OD with RE and OS.

You might notice that there are abbreviations on your prescription.

The power of the lens your doctor prescribes to correct your vision is indicated by the abbreviation SPH.

The number will have a minus sign if you are nearsighted.The number will have a plus sign if you are farsighted.

CYL is an acronym that means the lens power your doctor prescribes to correct your astigmatism.If there is no number in this column, your doctor doesn't need to check your astigmatism or fix it.

The number is from 1 to 180.There will be an axis value to indicate positioning if your doctor has included cylinder power.The axis is the location of the astigmatism on the eye.

The magnifying power for the bottom part of the lens is indicated by Add.

There are a low number of prescriptions.When your doctor feels that compensation for eye alignment is necessary, it is used.

Specific lens recommendations that your doctor has included can be seen when you look at your prescription.These may incur additional charges.

Your prescription for eyeglasses has all the information you need, but it doesn't have information for contact lens purchases.

Depending on the distance the lens will be from the eye, your doctor may adjust the amount of corrective power between glasses and contact lens.While contact lens are on the surface of the eye, glasses are 12mm away.

Depending on your situation, most eye doctors recommend having an eye exam every two years.

Your doctor will give you a prescription when you purchase eyewear.The meaning of abbreviations such as OS, OD, and CYL can make this prescription appear confusing.

The prescription you get for eyeglasses isn't the same as the one for contact lenses.Before you can get a prescription for contact lens wear, you have to have a fitting with your doctor.

You might not know you need glasses.It's important to see your eye doctor as your eyes can change over time.

A standard exam checks your vision and eye health.If the results are abnormal, learn what it means.

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