Prescription Guide

Prescription Guide

Ordering prescription glasses online can feel confusing at first, but most prescriptions follow a simple structure. This guide explains the most common terms you may see when entering your prescription at JoyeGlasses.

What You Need

Before ordering prescription lenses, please prepare your most recent prescription from your eye doctor or optometrist.

Your prescription may include:

OD
Right eye

OS
Left eye

SPH
Sphere power

CYL
Cylinder power

AXIS
Astigmatism direction

ADD
Additional reading power for progressive or reading lenses

PD
Pupillary distance

OD and OS

OD means right eye.
OS means left eye.

When entering your prescription, make sure the numbers are placed under the correct eye.

SPH

SPH stands for sphere. It shows the main lens power needed for nearsightedness or farsightedness.

A minus value, such as -2.00, usually means nearsighted correction.
A plus value, such as +1.50, usually means farsighted correction.

CYL

CYL stands for cylinder. It is used for astigmatism correction.

If your prescription does not include CYL, you may not need astigmatism correction. In that case, you can leave CYL blank or select 0.00 if required.

AXIS

AXIS works together with CYL. It shows the direction of astigmatism correction and is usually written as a number between 1 and 180.

If your prescription has CYL, it should also have AXIS.

PD

PD stands for pupillary distance. It measures the distance between the centers of your pupils.

PD helps position the lenses correctly in your frame.

Your PD may be written as one number, such as 63, or two numbers, such as 31.5 / 31.5.

ADD

ADD is usually used for progressive lenses, bifocal lenses, or reading support.

If you are ordering progressive lenses, please make sure your prescription includes ADD.

Single Vision

Single vision lenses are used for one main vision distance, such as distance vision or reading vision.

Choose single vision if your prescription is for one correction type only.

Progressive Lenses

Progressive lenses support distance, intermediate, and near vision in one pair of glasses.

Choose progressive lenses if your prescription includes ADD and you need multifocal support.

Readers

Readers are used for simple reading magnification.

Choose readers if you only need reading power and do not need a full prescription.

If You Are Not Sure

Enter your prescription details during lens selection. If you are unsure how to enter your prescription, or if any information is missing or unclear, please contact us before ordering.

We will review your lens selection before preparing your glasses. If something is unclear, we may contact you for confirmation.

Important Reminder

Please make sure your prescription is accurate and up to date before ordering. JoyeGlasses cannot replace professional eye care advice. If you are unsure about your prescription, please check with your eye doctor or optometrist.