# Decipher my opthalmologist's prescription.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decipher-my-opthalmologists-prescription/309483>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decipher-my-opthalmologists-prescription/309483 "2005-06-23T02:46:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decipher-my-opthalmologists-prescription/309483/1 "2005-06-23T02:46:06Z")

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I just got two prescriptions for new glasses – one for reading/computer and one for distance. Each slip has 6 columns:

SPH - CYL - AXIS - PRISM - BASE - VERTEX

The first three are filled out (for both right and for left), and the final three are blank.

What to these terms mean?

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**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decipher-my-opthalmologists-prescription/309483/2 "2005-06-23T05:13:00Z")

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[Here’s a site](http://www.opticsplanet.net/prescription-sunglasses-info.html) that has some descriptions of at least the first 5 (my contacts prescription form has all 5 of those, but not “vertex”).

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**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decipher-my-opthalmologists-prescription/309483/3 "2005-06-23T05:17:56Z")

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[Wikipedia has a pretty good article on eyeglass prescriptions, too](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyeglass_prescription)