Part of our Kids' Eye Health & First Glasses guide
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Decode it in a minute
Your child’s prescription, translated
It looks like a wall of abbreviations, but it’s really just a few codes telling us how to shape each lens. Here’s what each one means.
The codes
What those letters mean
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OD & OS
OD = right eye, OS = left eye (OU = both). It’s just Latin for which eye each row describes.
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SPH (Sphere)
Lens strength. A minus number means nearsighted (myopia); a plus number means farsighted (hyperopia).
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CYL & Axis
Astigmatism. CYL is how much, Axis (1–180) is the direction. Blank means no astigmatism.
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PD & ADD
PD centers the lenses; ADD is extra reading power, used mainly for bifocals — rare in kids.
Parent pro tip: snap a clear photo of the prescription when you order — we’ll double-check the values before we make the lenses.
Ready to order?
Got the prescription decoded? Pick a frame and add your child’s PD.
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