What Do The Numbers Mean On Your Contact Lense Rx?
February 10, 2010 by admin
Filed under FAQ on advance for astigmatism
Can any one explain what the numbers on your prescription?
I know that 20/20 is perfect vision, but when the numbers are negative numbers, explain what it means and when your eyes are really really bad, meaning that you can’t see your own hand if you hold it straight out in front of you (without your contacts or glasses of course) what would your numbers be to be considered legally blind?
when I say that you can’t see it I don’t mean that you can’t see anything, but if you had a paper in your hand, you probably couldn’t see what was written on it even if it was the size of the biggest letter on the eye chart. and while I’m asking, I thought of another question
If you wear corrective lenses all the time, do your eyes become dependent on them, meaning that they will never get stronger, almost like building an immunity to antibiotics?
Wow, I think I confused myself on that one, but if you understand what I was trying to ask, answer please. I hate wearing contacts and glasses just the same, considering lacik surgery, but was just curious about all this stuff, and oops sorry, another question, is there any thing different I would need to do besides ask my eye doc about the surgery? meaning is there any waiting period, or anything that he will make me do before he can recommend, or do the surgery. once I decide, I am a very impatiant person, and don’t like to wait, I like instant gratification. I also have an astigmatism will that be a factor in the surgery, meaning that I couldn’t have it done.
sorry so long, I started asking, and a dozen more questions popped into my head =(
OK, the negative numbers on your prescription just tell us the power of the lenses you need to correct your nearsightedness ( myopia ) Minus power lenses are concave which lengthen the light rays to focus on your retina.
20/20 isn’t perfect vision, it is just good, normal vision. many people have better than 20/20
That 20/20 number is your visual acuity, determined by the letters you could read on the chart. The prescription you need to see with in your contacts is complete different measurement and can’t be translated from one to the other.
It depends on how strong your correction is as to how poorly you can see without them. Not all negative powers are strong.
There are no numbers that can be considered as legally blind. If you can be corrected to better than 20/200 in at least one eye, there is no legal blindness involved.
Someone who is legally blind has very poor vision, WITH glasses on . That is how it is measured. It doesn’t matter how bad the vision is without glasses.
As for surgery, you will have to wait until your early 20’s for that because your vision has to be stable for 2 years before it is done.
You can discuss it at that time at a free consultation with a surgeon at a laser clinic to see if you are a good candidate, not everyone is.
Your eyes do become dependent on the glasses because your brain prefers the clear image it is receiving from having the correction on, and it makes your vision blurry when you take the contacts or glasses off because it is trying to refocus and decipher a blurry image again.
There, I think that answers them all…lol