How to read an eye test

When you go to an eye hospital for computerized optometry, you will be given an optometry slip, which varies slightly from machine to machine, but mainly includes the refractive errors of the left and right eyes, such as degrees of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Typically, the first line records the time of the optometric examination, usually accurate to the minute. Further down the line, R represents the right eye; S represents the spherical lens, reflecting degrees of myopia or hyperopia; C represents the cylindrical lens, reflecting degrees of astigmatism, and A represents the axial direction of astigmatism. There will be 3-4 rows of values below C and A, indicating 3-4 measurements. Each row of values represents the specific value of each data for each measurement. The values for the spherical and cylindrical lenses will be preceded by either + or -, with + representing the degree of hyperopia and – representing the degree of myopia. Further down the line is L, which represents the left eye and is followed by the same interpretation as the right eye, for the specific optometric result of the left eye. The last line, PD, represents the pupillary distance of both eyes. It is recommended that patients with abnormal optometry results seek prompt medical attention to evaluate their condition and follow medical advice.