02

Understanding
your prescription

Cheatsheet

Need a hand with your eyes?
Allow us!

  • Get an eye exam

    An eye exam consists of a series of tests that give your eye doctor the full picture of what’s going on with your vision

  • Keep a copy

    Your prescription may seem intimidating at first, but this handy piece of paper indicates your corrective needs. If you want to understand what those symbols mean, check out our blog post.

  • Get your PD taken

    Your pupillary distance is the distance between the centres of your pupils. It is used to properly align your lenses and ensure accurate vision.

Lens Choice Guide

What to Consider

What comes first

Book an eye exam with your optometrist before purchasing your new pair in order to have an up-to-date prescription at hand.

  1. Find an optometrist near you if you don’t already have a file with one
  2. Specify the goal of your exam (whether for glasses or contact lenses)
  3. Be sure to request a copy of your prescription: it’s your right!
  4. Scan or take a picture of your prescription so you always have it handy

Prescription

Prescription eyewear and what it all means

Your eyesight has needs and your prescription tells an eye care professional what those are. FYI, you don’t need a prescription to wear a pair — non-prescription glasses or blue light lens-fitted styles are also available. And they’re all the rage.

Reading glasses

Reading glasses are typically associated with an eye condition called presbyopia or hyperopia, which comes with age and is more or less unavoidable.

Available without Rx in the following range: from +0.5 to +3.25 Price start at: $149

Single vision lenses (for nearsightedness)

Single vision lenses correct a very common eye condition known as nearsightedness (or myopia), which causes distant objects to look blurry.

Price start at: $149

Single vision lenses (for farsightedness)

Single vision lenses are also used to correct farsightedness (hyperopia), a common eye condition that causes nearby objects to be blurry.

Price start at: $149

Multifocal lenses

Multifocal is a blanket term that can designate progressive, degressive, or anti-fatigue lenses, all of which can correct vision at two or more distances at once (whether near, intermediate, or far).

Price start at: $375

Pupillary Distance

PD

Pupillary distance and how it’s measured

Before we get started, let’s look at what, exactly, your PD is. This term describes the distance between the centre of each pupil, which is essential in correcting your vision. Ideally, your PD is measured by an eye care professional, but our team of experts can also virtually measure your PD with accurate results.

  1. Before taking your photo, be sure to have adequate lighting and avoid a busy backdrop
  2. Hold your head upright, look straight ahead, and gaze directly into the camera
  3. Grab a card (about the size of a credit card) and hold it horizontally below your nose — the card should touch your face but not hide your nose
  4. Position yourself approximately 30 cm from your computer screen, snap the pic, send it in, and we’ll do the measuring for you

See Us

Still have questions?
Speak to an optician!

Our team of opticians is on-hand and always glad to help you understand more about eyewear fitted for your prescription.

Find a store near you
Next Section

The cost of lenses, explained

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