Understanding Prescriptions

Understanding Your Prescriptions for Visual Aids – InVision Eyecare in New Jersey

There are several refractive disorders that can affect the eye and therefore your vision. The most common refractive errors are nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism and age-related presbyopia (loss of reading vision). All refractive errors are measured in units called diopters. These units represent the amount of correction needed for clear vision. The higher the diopters, the higher your prescription will be.

Understanding Your Prescription Numbers

Your prescription is written in three numbers:

For example, -5.00 -1.50 x 180 represents a typical prescription.

  • The first number (-5.00) identifies the degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness. A plus sign means you are nearsighted, while a minus sign means you are farsighted.
  • The second number (-1.50) identifies the degree of astigmatism. The number can be written either with either a plus sign or a minus sign.
  • The third number (180) is the axis, which denotes the direction of your astigmatism. For example: an axis of 180 degrees means the astigmatism is horizontal.

Therefore, the prescription mentioned above (-5.00 -1.50 x 180) means the patient is moderately nearsighted, with a slight degree of astigmatism in the horizontal direction.

At InVision Eyecare, we offer our New Jersey vision correction patients several treatment options to correct their vision, including LASIK, LASEK and PRK. For those looking to obtain glasses and/or contact lenses, our practice is home to an in-house optical shop.

To explore your vision correction treatment options, including Surface Laser (PRK) in New Jersey, please contact InVision EyeCare at (732) 905-5600.