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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask you to explain glasses prescription to me

26 replies

YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 11:32

I’m just back from the opticians and my son has been given a score of +6 and +5 and I have no idea what that means.

No one else in my family wears glasses and I’m just baffled. I’ve googled +6 and it says 6/6 is perfect vision? So is the issue the +5? So is he 1 away from perfect?

The optician didn’t really explain anything and I was in shock as I had no idea he’d need glasses as none of us do so I didn’t ask the right questions.

Please can someone explain what this means? Is 20 good and 6 awful?

Thanks and sorry for my very tenuous AIBU.

(And yes, I’ve tried google, but got confused by the search results)

OP posts:
TheMemoryLingers · 22/02/2020 11:45

It isn't a 'score' - it's the degree of correction needed in the lens. I'm not an optician (just a lifelong glasses-wearer) so can't give an expert opinion, but + scores correct for long-sightedness (minus scores correct for short-sightedness) so it sounds as though your son needs a slightly stronger prescription in the +6 eye and he is far-sighted so may have difficulty seeing things close to. It isn't 'awful', it's a fairly standard prescription and nothing to worry about.

I would suggest going back to the optician and asking them to explain the prescription more fully - I'm sure they're used to this happening.

ColaFreezePop · 22/02/2020 11:47

As the PP said.

Original poster
YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 11:51

Thank you! I’m so pleased it is a fairly standard prescription.

I’m now god in to learn as much as I can about sight and prescriptions, so will speak to the optician when he gets them fitted next week.

I feel a bit silly not knowing even the basics of what short / long sightedness mean. So that’s helped.

Having a Mummy wobble as I feel like I should’ve known Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 11:52

Googling long sighted is giving me much better search results. Thank you Flowers

OP posts:
TheMemoryLingers · 22/02/2020 11:55

If you've never worn glasses, you couldn't be expected to know, so don't feel bad. If he's booked in for a fitting that's an ideal time to ask the optician to explain everything. I hope he likes his glasses when he gets them - I loved the first pair I had as a child.

DrinkReprehensibly · 22/02/2020 11:56

I'm short sighted and have a prescription of -3.75 in my left eye and -5.0 in my right eye. My right eye is much more blurred without glasses so I've always assumed a prescription closer to 0 means your eyesight is better.

Shoppingwithmother · 22/02/2020 11:58

The +6 and +5 are the powers of lenses needed in each eye to correct his vision. If you have “perfect vision” without glasses, your prescription would be zero (sometimes written as Plano). So the +6 eye is the worse eye.

6/6 etc is how small the smallest letters are that he can see 6m away - with the correct lenses.

The level of his prescription is fairly high, but not worryingly so. Depending on his age, his prescription is likely to reduce as he grows up.

Original poster
YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 12:07

Thank you all so much. I’ve also been googling and feel like I’ve got my head around it much better now.

He’s chosen a fantastic pair of yellow and black glasses and is super excited to get them. His sibling is very jealous Smile and we’re treating it as a really positive thing to help him see and learn.

OP posts:
TheMemoryLingers · 22/02/2020 12:13

It will be great for him when he gets them - he's probably got used to gradually making more effort to see clearly, and it's a lovely feeling when you slip your glasses on and magically have perfect vision again without having to try.

ploughingthrough · 22/02/2020 12:15

As others have said he is long sighted. On your prescription you also have a 'cyl' column - is there anything in that bit?

Bohomie · 22/02/2020 12:19

That is a fairly high prescription.
I'd recommend them 'thinned' or high index, for aesthetic reasons. You'd probably have to pay more for those though.
A plastic frame would look better too

Original poster
YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 12:20

@ploughingthrough I didn’t take a copy of the prescription home with me, they gave me no paperwork at all. I’ve just been told they’ll call me when the glasses are back and then he’ll need a fitting appointment and to collect them.

I asked what the prescription was, which is how I know +6 and +5, but nothing else.

OP posts:
Original poster
YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 12:21

@TheMemoryLingers that sounds amazing! I’m excited for him to have that feeling.

OP posts:
FlamingoAndJohn · 22/02/2020 12:21

There is no reason you would know.

As said before, if you imagine perfect vision is 0 then he needs 6 diopters adding to make his vision perfect.
People who are long sighted need to add diopters so have a + prescription and people who are shortsighted need them taking away and have a - prescription.
People who are long sighted (+) have lenses that are thick in the middle and thinner at the edges. If you hold them up they make things look bigger.
People who are short sighted (-) have lenses that are thin in the middle and thicker at the edges. If you hold them up they make things look smaller.

6/6 is a description of how his vision is once corrected. You’ve heard the term 20/20 vision right? Well 6/6 is the same thing, just a different way of writing it. (6/6 is metric and 20/20 is imperial)

Ouchaheadinmybehind · 22/02/2020 12:22

@YouthGoneMild
My DS has a +6.50 prescription in each eye, just a warning that the higher the number the thicker the lenses are. Children do get a voucher for more than the basic cost so it can contribute towards thinning but ASDA opticians, if there is one near you, do free lense thinning and generally do the thinner lenses, not just the basic level.
Without thinning my DS would be wearing milk bottle bottoms.

Original poster
YouthGoneMild · 22/02/2020 12:33

Thanks @FlamingoAndJohn that’s helpful.

@Ouchaheadinmybehind that’s a great tip. Thank you!! It didn’t occur to me the lenses would be thick. We went to Boots and they are making him a pair, so I’ll see how these turn out. I’m happy to buy him a second pair, so may go to ASDA for them. Thanks.

OP posts:
KittenVsBox · 22/02/2020 12:35

My oldest got glasses aged 7. The look on his face when we walked out of the opticians into the shopping centre was pure amazement at all the stuff he could see.
Echo the others. Thinning is worth it if you possibly can afford to.

Stressedout10 · 22/02/2020 12:36

Please try and avoid plastic frames in a child as they deform the bridge of your nose by restricting its ability to grow correctly especially with thick lenses (due to the weight) whereas metal frames have adjustable nose pads which allow not only a better fitting but also a more natural nose development.
You can also get gel pads to put on the nose pads which will make them more comfortable

Scootingthebreeze · 22/02/2020 12:39

I remember getting glasses for the first time at 8 and being amazed at how sharp the world was in focus! I could read the writing on the blackboard for the first time! I'm short sighted so I imagine he will feel great to be able to read text and reading books without it looking fuzzy and difficult

FlamingoAndJohn · 22/02/2020 12:43

+6 will be quite thick.
How old is he?
While it’s worth getting the thinner lenses in the future I wouldn’t right now for a few reasons.
He won’t be used to wearing glasses so they might well get lost or broken (if they do the optician will replace them for free for under 16s using an NHS voucher).
With a quite high prescription to start with there is a chance that his prescription actually needs to be stronger but opticians often like to start younger children off on slightly weaker prescriptions than they really need because they need to get used to it.
His eyes will keep changing. I now have a very high prescription and until I was about 13 my prescription change every 6 months.
The smaller the frames the thinner the lenses will be. If he is young his frames should be small enough that you won’t really notice.

Thinner lenses are worth it for a teen or pre teen, not really for a 4 year old.

RollaCola84 · 22/02/2020 12:51

+5/6 is a pretty strong prescription so it will make a big difference for him which is great. I've worn glasses since I was 2 and am long sighted with a correction for strabismus in one eye but my long sight correction is only +1.75.

His lenses might be a little thick (though they're all much better now than when I was a kid !) but probably not worth getting thinner ones till he's older and not going through them so quickly.

Prescription swimming goggles can be bought online now (could probably get away with same prescription on both sides for swimming) and you can get clip on elasticated straps for sports. I wear them in the gym.

TheMemoryLingers · 22/02/2020 12:51

Another tip, in case you didn't realise - you don't have to buy your glasses from the same optician who performed the eye test. You can ask for a copy of the prescription and take it to any optician to have glasses made up. Handy if there are no frames that take your fancy -or if the total price of the glasses seems high, you can shop around for deals - some offer free thinning as pps have said, or two for one offers so you can get a spare pair or sunglasses.

ploughingthrough · 22/02/2020 12:55

They should give you a copy of the prescription. You might want to have a other pair made up at some point so it's useful to have.
Agree with the thinning especially if your DS is young as they might feel quite heavy. My DS got glasses at 3 , he's almost 5 now and I can't imagine him without them!

FlamingoAndJohn · 22/02/2020 12:58

You can ask for a copy of the prescription and take it to any optician to have glasses made up

If you do that make sure you ask for your NHS voucher.

returnofthecat · 22/02/2020 13:18

It's a reasonably high prescription - he must have been struggling to see things, bless him. When he puts on his new glasses, the whole world will suddenly come into focus again...

It will be a sharp jump in quality, so his head might hurt initially as he gets used to it, but that should wear off after a couple of hours. If he's still complaining about his glasses for much longer than that, it's worth getting the prescription re-checked in case it's not quite right.