What exactly is the power of my eyes? Do I get the lens based on spherical power or cylindrical power?

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Prescription reads (DISTANCE)

Left Eye: SPH -1, CYL -0.75, Axis 90°, Vision 6/6

Right Eye: SPH -0.5, CYL -1, Axis 90°, Vision 6/6

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You get glasses for all of it, exactly as written in the prescription. This says you are near-sighted but only just. That’s represented by the SPH -1 and -0.5.

The CYL means you have astigmatism. It means your eyeball isn’t completely round like a healthy eyeball, yours is squished and it’s shaped like a football. That usually causes the double vision and the star burst effect when you see car lights at night. The Axis shows where to direct that cylinder power to correct the distortion of your football shaped eyeball.

So this prescription will tell the glasses maker how to shape your lenses to correct your vision so you’ll be able to see far objects clearly.

The other additional measurement that you need to have is your Pupillary Distance (PD). This is the distance between the center of your left and right pupils. You’ll need that so the glasses maker can create lenses that are centered to your pupils. If it’s not written in your prescription, you’ll need to go back to your eye doctor/optometrist and have them measure it, or you can do it yourself using a ruler, a marker, and a mirror.