Answer: Yes.
The only impediment that can intervene is that of understanding the terms. An optometrist or ophthalmologist is trained to use simplified terms to explain the eye prescription.
That's why this article is only a good read to get you in touch with the interpretation of the ophthalmic prescription. If we are still in tune with a lot of information that surrounds us, why not be in tune with what is happening in the world of optics?
For starters, a recipe at Gama Optic looks something like this:
OD AND OS
OD and OS can be intuitively explained by the right eye and the left eye. But the names come from the Latin language: dexter oculus (right eye) and sinister oculus (left eye). Some say it is a pure coincidence, but researchers in the field of language history say that the names come precisely because the Romanian language was formed from the Latin language.
SPH, CYL AND AX
SPH comes from sphere and represents the power of the lenses we need to correct our vision. In the case of myopia (difficulty seeing clearly at a distance), the sphere is crossed with a minus sign ( – ) in front for each eye separately. For example: OD – 1.75 and OS – 1.50. In the case of hypermetropia (difficulty seeing clearly up close), the sphere is crossed with a plus (+) sign in front for each eye separately. For example: OD + 1.75 and OS + 1.50.
CYL comes from cylinder and indicates the diopters needed to correct astigmatism. Astigmatism is a refractive error that distorts the image, as it is not clearly transmitted to the retina. Cylindrical lenses are added to spherical lenses to produce a sharp image in a pair of glasses. Compared to spherical lenses that are symmetric about the meridian, cylindrical lenses are not symmetric but curved about the meridian. Thus, either myopic astigmatism (with the - sign) or hyperopic astigmatism (with the + sign) can be corrected. Astigmatism cannot be individually the two refractive errors.
The AX represents a value that overlaps with the cylinder value and represents the direction of the cylinder correction. That is, in which direction the cylindrical lens should be placed to correct the astigmatism. The axis cannot be determined individually from the cylinder. It is numbered from 0 to 180 with the Celsius symbol.
ADD, PRISM AND BASE
ADD is short for addition or added. The table of ADD is completed in the case of people diagnosed with presbyopia. Presbyopia usually appears after the age of 45. This addition results in the bifocal lens (a lens for correcting distance vision which, at the bottom, has a pill for correcting near vision) or the progressive lens (a lens through which the gradual transition from distance diopters to near dioptre; this transition is made through an intermediate dioptre).
PRISMA is completed to correct the difficulty of fixing the gaze in the case of strabismus. The BASE comes in to help the prismatic lens and represents the direction in which the prism directs the light: up, down, inward or outward.
Abbreviations such as DP – pupillary distance, an important parameter for fixing lenses, are usually found on an ophthalmic prescription. At Gama Optic we use visuReal technology for accurate measurement of such parameters.
Regardless of the refractive error observed during the consultation, the dioptric values increase from 0.25 to 0.25, with the minimum value being, of course, 0.25. Below this value, it is not necessary to order diopter lenses. But if you report some visual impairments and yet you are not diagnosed with a particular refractive error, you most likely need a pair of protective glasses: either for the computer (with Blue Control lenses), either for protection from sunlight (a pair of sunglasses).
