Pupillary distance (PD) or interpupillary distance (IPD) is the distance measured in millimeters between the centers of the pupils of the eyes. This measurement is different from person to person and also depends on whether they are looking at near objects or far away. Monocular PD[1] refers to the distance between each eye and the bridge of the nose which may be slightly different for each eye due to anatomical variations.[2] For people who need to wear prescription glasses consideration of monocular PD measurement by the optician helps to ensure that the lenses will be located in the optimum position. Purchasing glasses online can be a potential problem if the PD measurement isn't available.

Eye care professionals use prism correction as a component of some eyeglass prescriptions. A lens which includes some amount of prism correction will displace the viewed image horizontally, vertically, or a combination of both directions.

When you look at your prescription for eyeglasses, you will see numbers listed under the headings of OS and OD. They are Latin abbreviations: OS (oculus sinister) means the left eye and OD (oculus dextrus) means the right eye.

Occasionally, you will see a notation for OU, which means something involving both eyes. In general, the further away from zero the number on your prescription, the worse your eyesight and the more vision correction (stronger prescription) you need. A “plus” (+) sign in front of the number means you are farsighted, and a “minus” (-) sign means you are nearsighted.

These numbers represent diopters, the unit used to measure the correction, or focusing power, of the lens your eye requires. Diopter is often abbreviated "D."