An eyeglass prescription is an order written by an eyewear prescriber, such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist, that specifies the value of all parameters the prescriber has deemed necessary to construct and/or dispense corrective lenses appropriate for a patient.
If an examination indicates that corrective lenses are appropriate, the prescriber generally provides the patient with an eyewear prescription at the conclusion of the exam. In the United States, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requires eyewear prescribers to give each patient a copy of their prescription, immediately following the concluding exam, even if the patient doesn't ask for a copy.
The parameters specified on spectacle prescriptions vary, but typically include the power to which each lens should be made in order to correct blurred vision due to refractive errors, including myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. It is typically determined using a phoropter asking the patient which lens is best, computer automated refractor, and through the technique of retinoscopy. Opticians are not eye doctors and, therefore, are not licensed to write an eyeglass prescription. A dispensing optician will take a prescription written by an optometrist or ophthalmologist and order and/or assemble the frames and lenses to then be dispensed and sold to the patient.
Read more about Eyeglass Prescription: Abbreviations and Terms, Background, Lens Power, Spherical Lenses and Spherical Correction, Amount of Refractive Error and Degree of Blur, Cylindrical Lenses and Cylindrical Correction, Axis, Spherical Equivalent Refraction (SER), Distant Vision and Near Vision, Optical Axis and Visual Axis, Variations in Prescription Writing
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