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Home > Help > Entering your prescription

Entering your prescription

This information is designed to help you enter your prescription correctly during the ordering process. If you have any questions about your prescription, or if you feel at all unsure about entering it into our form, please call us on 0845 680 9785 and we'll be happy to help. Alternatively you can tick the box on the prescription page to 'send/email' your prescription to us, that way you will bypass having to enter the prescription information at all.

General tips:

If your prescription has three rows of numbers (reading, intermediate & distance), please enter the distance values.
Please double check if there is a + or - in front of each measurement (this can often be written above the figure). If there is no sign, that means the number is positive (+).
It is common for the optician to leave out the decimal points. A number like -25 or +175 is the same as -0.25 or +1.75, respectively. Also, an Axis of 5 (or 05) is the same as 005; 90 is the same as 090.
Hover your mouse over the icons on the prescription form for further information about each part of your prescription.

Prescription Examples

1. Boots

In this example the right eye is represented by the top row of values and the left eye by the second row of values.

In the top row, the right eye's Sphere (SPH) value is 4.50, but the minus sign above it means this is actually -4.50.

The right eye Cylinder (CYL) value is given as 050. Cylinder values always have 2 decimal places, and opticians often omit the decimal point, so the value 050 means 0.50. This figure also has a minus sign above it, so the resulting value we enter is -0.50.

Both eyes have an Axis (AXI) value of 180.

Neither eye has a Prism/Base value so these fields should be left as "Not applicable".

The priscription shows a Reading Addition, or Near Addition (ADD) of +2.50. This value describes the additional correction required to provide clear vision at very close, or reading distances, and is used particularly for varifocals, bifocals, or reading glasses. In this example, the Intermediate Addition (used for intermediate distance correction) is blank and these fields should be left as "Not applicable". Since there is only one Addition value (as opposed to one value for each eye), both the right and left eyes should be set to +2.50 in this case.

Here is a summary of the values that should be entered into the prescription form for the above prescription:

	SPH	CYL	AXI	H.Prism	Base	V.Prism	Base	Nr ADD	Int ADD	PD
Right eye	-4.50	-0.50	180	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+2.50	N/A	63mm
Left eye	-4.00	-1.00	180	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+2.50	N/A	63mm

2.NHS

In this example there are two sets of values provided: Distance, and Near. It is the Distance values that should be entered into the prescription form.

If you are ordering varifocals, bifocals, reading or intermediate glasses, then you will also need to enter the Reading (Near) and Intermediate Additions. The Intermediate Addition value of +1.50 is provided on this prescription in the Comments box underneath, and this should be assumed to apply to both eyes.

The Near Addition is not provided as a separate value. However, we are given the Sphere (SPH) values for each eye in the Near row of values. We can calculate the Near Addition from these, so they should therefore be provided in our Additional Information box on the prescription form, as follows:

Near Addition not provided on prescription, but Near SPH values are:
Right: +3.75
Left: +3.25

Here is a summary of the values that should be entered into the prescription form for the above prescription:

	SPH	CYL	AXI	H.Prism	Base	V.Prism	Base	Nr ADD	Int ADD	PD
Right eye	+1.50	-1.75	105	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.50	63mm
Left eye	+2.00	-1.00	80	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.50	63mm

3. Specsavers

The top row of values represent the right eye (denoted by the (R), and the second row is for the left eye (L). There are no Additions, or Prism/Base values shown, so these should all be left set to "Not applicable".

Here is a summary of the values that should be entered into the prescription form for the above prescription:

	SPH	CYL	AXI	H.Prism	Base	V.Prism	Base	Nr ADD	Int ADD	PD
Right eye	-0.50	-1.00	25	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	63mm
Left eye	-0.25	-1.75	180	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	63mm

4. Vision Express

In this example we have Sphere, Cylinder and Axis values for both eyes in the top section. No Prism/Base values are provided so these should be left set to "Not applicable".

No Intermediate Addition is provided. However, a Near Adddition of +1.50 is given for each eye.

The details given in the bottom section of the prescription, labelled "Aided VA", are not required and do not need to be provided to us.

Here is a summary of the values that should be entered into the prescription form for the above prescription:

	SPH	CYL	AXI	H.Prism	Base	V.Prism	Base	Nr ADD	Int ADD	PD
Right eye	-1.50	-1.00	24.5	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.50	N/A	63mm
Left eye	+0.75	-0.75	163	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.50	N/A	63mm

5. Local Optician

In this example, the right eye values are given in the top section of the prescription, and both the Sphere and Cylinder have minus signs (-) above them, indicating that they are negative values.

The left eye is given in the second section, with a negative Sphere of -2.75. Note the value "DS" given for the left eye Cylinder. This means "Dioptre Sphere", and simply means that the Cylinder value is zero. The left eye Axis value is blank, which means that too is zero.

A Near Addition (ADD) of +1.25 is given for each eye. A Pupillary Distance (PD) of 61mm is also provided.

Here is a summary of the values that should be entered into the prescription form for the above prescription:

	SPH	CYL	AXI	H.Prism	Base	V.Prism	Base	Nr ADD	Int ADD	PD
Right eye	-1.00	-1.00	15	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.25	N/A	61mm
Left eye	-2.75	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.25	N/A	61mm

How we obtain pupilary distance

We have two means of arriving at this measurement:

1. Send a spare pair of varifocal glasses.

It does not matter if your spare varifocals are an old prescription, or if they are tinted sun lenses, we can still read the 'mapping' of the lens. Simply send them to: GFL Suite 4, Richmond House, Long Bennington Business Park, Main Road, Long Bennington NG23 5DJ.

2. Our software can calculate your heights and PD's.

All we require from you is a close up photo of you wearing your glasses, along with the dimensions of the glasses you are wearing. These can either be found on the inside arm of the glasses, or they can easily be measured. Full instructions are sent with your order confirmation; it really is very simple.

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