# Eyeglasses prescription **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196 "2017-03-02T13:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/1 "2017-03-02T13:41:40Z")
In October of 2015 I went to an eye doctor and he gave me a prescription for glasses. I never did anything with it because he told me I could keep using +2.00 reading glasses, which was working fine for me and according to him, basically the same as the prescription . Recently I decided that I wanted something a little more stylish, so I went to see him again. He gave me another prescription after another exam. This is what it says on the 2015 prescription: OD: Plano OS: -0.25 Cylinder Spr ADD: +2.00 ADD: +2.00 The prescription he gave me two days ago: OD: +0.25 OS: +0.00ADD: +2.00 ADD: +2.00 ADD: +2.00 He didn’t have anything in his office that I like (in my size head) so I started looking online. It seems that the ADD numbers are only for people wanting bi-focals or progressive lenses. So last year my right eye needed no correction and this year my left eye needs no correction? And the amount of correction now for my right eye is only +0.25? I can’t read without using reading glasses that are 2.00! If I order standard (non-bifocals or progressive) lenses online using the prescription he gave me, am I going to be satisfied with the level of magnification? I’m wondering if there’s something I’m not understanding well. Also, he told me that my vision has gotten worse since I saw him in 2015. It doesn’t seem so from the prescription comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/2 "2017-03-02T14:12:15Z")
Advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/3 "2017-03-02T14:17:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Advice is best suited to IMHO. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator I’m actually not looking for opinions. I’m looking for a factual answer. Is what’s on the prescription going to help someone that needs 2.00 off the shelf reading glasses? I’m wondering if I am deciphering the prescription incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/4 "2017-03-02T14:20:06Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > …So last year my right eye needed no correction and this year my left eye needs no correction? And the amount of correction now for my right eye is only +0.25? I can’t read without using reading glasses that are 2.00!.. For non-close-up vision, you do not need corrective lenses. There is no refractive error in your eyes, and no astigmatism (assuming that you’ve reproduced the entire prescription). Both tests are close to zero - you should not infer anything from the small variation of +/- 0.25 between the two tests, it’s not significant. You have presbyopia, requiring glasses for reading only. You should just order whatever frames you want with a +2.00 prescription, and use them for reading only, which I assume is what you are doing now? As your optometrist has said, the correction will be the same as buying +2.00 off-the-shelf reading glasses from a drugstore. If you are in fact experiencing problems with non-close-up vision, it’s not related to refractive error, and you should go back and discuss that with your optometrist right away. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/5 "2017-03-02T14:30:17Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > …It seems that the ADD numbers are only for people wanting bi-focals or progressive lenses… Just to clarify. The OD and OS numbers are the correction required for non-close-up vision. This would be the upper part of a bifocal lens. The “ADD” numbers are for the presbyopia, i.e. the correction required for reading only. This would be the bottom part of bifocals. However, since you require _no_ correction (or minimal correction) for non-close-up vision, it would be odd for you to have bifocals with plain glass in the top part. Most people in your situation just get reading glasses, where the entire lens has the “ADD” presbyopia correction, and just take them off when not reading. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/6 "2017-03-02T14:36:58Z")
If your insurance covers bifocals then go ahead and get it filled, but otherwise that looks like something a pair of $12 reading glasses would deal with quite adequately. ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/7 "2017-03-02T14:37:55Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > For non-close-up vision, you do not need corrective lenses. Right. I have no problem seeing things that aren’t pretty close up. > [@](#): > > You have presbyopia, requiring glasses for reading only. You should just order whatever frames you want with a +2.00 prescription But everything I’ve read says that the numbers by “ADD” are only for bifocals-progressives. One website I was trying to order from (IIRC) didn’t even want the “ADD” numbers unless I was getting bifocals-progressives. So the only numbers I was inputting was the 0.25 and 0.00. How do I get eyeglasses using that prescription and have them equal to the reading glasses I get OTC at the drug store? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/8 "2017-03-02T15:00:11Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > …But everything I’ve read says that the numbers by “ADD” are only for bifocals-progressives… If you needed bifocals, then the “ADD” part would just be the bottom part of your bifocal lens. The upper part would be the correction or non-close-up vision. But in your case, the upper part of a bifocal lens would be almost plain glass (0.25 is negligible correction). So you don’t need bifocals. You want reading glasses, where the entire lens is the “ADD” prescription of +2.00. And you just take them off when not reading. I can’t speak to exactly how a website interface works, but you need to order +2.00 as the prescription. You do not want bifocals, and you should not enter the 0.00 and +0.25 anywhere, those numbers are not relevant to what you want to order. If you want to be sure, just phone them up and tell them you want +2.00 reading glasses, just like you get from the drugstore. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/9 "2017-03-02T15:10:57Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > Right. I have no problem seeing things that aren’t pretty close up. Yes. That’s pretty much what the prescription says. > [@](#): > > But everything I’ve read says that the numbers by “ADD” are only for bifocals-progressives. As noted, the ADD part is _what you need for close up vision_. That’s why they’re “for” bifocals/progressives. It’s _added_ to the given prescription to make the lower part of the lens. > [@](#): > > How do I get eyeglasses using that prescription and have them equal to the reading glasses I get OTC at the drug store? Just use the ADD. Stop thinking of the ADD as “for bifocals/progressives” and start thinking of it as “my prescription for close-up seeing”. But I’m not quite sure why you don’t just buy the OTC reading glasses… some stylistic choice? You’re looking for a sturdier frame? You can get prescrition glasses paid for? ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/10 "2017-03-02T15:19:58Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > If you needed bifocals, then the “ADD” part would be the bottom part of your bifocal lens. But in your case, the top part of a bifocal lens would be almost plain glass (0.25 is pretty much zero correction). So you don’t need bifocals. > > You want reading glasses, where the entire lens is the “ADD” prescription of +2.00. And you just take them off when not reading. > > I can speak to how a website interface works, but you need to order non-bifocals with +2.00 as the prescription. Do not enter the 0.00 and +0.25 anywhere, those numbers are not relevant to what you want to order. If you want to be sure, just phone them up and tell them you want +2.00 reading glasses. Thank you so much for clearing that up for me. This has been driving me nuts since yesterday. I was convinced that the eye doctor was trying to screw me for wanting a written prescription so I could purchase glasses elsewhere. 😃 > [@Broomstick](#): > > But I’m not quite sure why you don’t just buy the OTC reading glasses… some stylistic choice? You’re looking for a sturdier frame? You can get prescrition glasses paid for? Yeah, basically a stylistic choice. Glasses I find OTC are a little small for my head and I found a pair of Oakley frames that look pretty good on me. No, I can’t get insurance to pay for them. Perhaps I should forgo the expensive for my ego reasons - money is a little tight right now. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/11 "2017-03-02T15:34:54Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > …I was convinced that the eye doctor was trying to screw me for wanting a written prescription so I could purchase glasses elsewhere. :D… He told you that all you need is +2.00 non-prescription reading glasses, so he’s being quite straight with you. The prescription he gave you is just the formal way of writing that down, stating that your OS and OD numbers are (effectively) zero, requiring no correction. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/12 "2017-03-02T16:14:46Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > Yeah, basically a stylistic choice. Glasses I find OTC are a little small for my head and I found a pair of Oakley frames that look pretty good on me. No, I can’t get insurance to pay for them. Perhaps I should forgo the expensive for my ego reasons - money is a little tight right now. Meh, that’s a matter of your priorities. Do you do a lot of reading? Then comfort with your reading glasses is actually quite important. Do you work in a profession where appearance is important? Then a stylistic choice of reading glasses can be just as important as wearing the proper business attire. Even when money is tight it sometimes makes sense to spend a little more on something you use a lot every day or as part of your job. Or if you cut back elsewhere to free up a few dollars for a small luxury that can have benefits as well. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/13 "2017-03-04T09:44:59Z")
But the eyes are basically the same, the shortsightedness is the worst problem, and that remains at +2 for both eyes ,so same as before you can get single focals, especially those half cup ones that let you peer over the top… Or you can get bi/multi focals if you prefer the frame and lense going up past the eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/14 "2017-03-04T14:14:42Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > But the eyes are basically the same, the shortsightedness is the worst problem, and that remains at +2 for both eyes ,so same as before Nearsightedness is expressed with negative numbers - for example, -2. A +2 is farsightedness. Or, more accurately in this case, presbyopia. “Old People Eyes”. The eyes can still focus in the distance but the focusing mechanism is no longer flexible enough to change focus sufficiently to view things up close anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-prescription/781196/15 "2017-03-04T15:13:30Z")
Former optician here. With the prescription the OP has, reading only lenses will have to be: OD +2.25 OS +2.00 The add power is an addition to the distance power. It’s o.k. to sell ready made readers in whatever strength the customer wants, but custom made they have to follow a doctor’s written prescription. It’s true that a .25 difference would be unnoticeable by many people, but it’s still outside legal tolerance. And it’s lens. Only one E.