How to Measure an Axis for Eye Glasses

How to Measure an Axis for Eye Glasses
Written By
Paul Lin
Paul Lin
Jan 19, 2011
1 minute read

Without the right vision equipment, it may be hard to tell if eye glasses have been improperly calibrated. Eye glass lenses are measured by four major optical properties: the axis, sphere, cylinder and focus values. The axis values measure the required amount of rotation needed for a person with an astigmatism. Astigmatism can be corrected by adjusting the axis of your eye glass lenses to eliminate headaches or distorted vision at near-sighted or far-sighted distances.

Mount the eye glasses against the base of the lensometer platform.

Center one of the lenses in the optical viewfinder of the lensometer. The axis is measured by criss-crossing narrow lines that will become parallel when the axis are aligned. Begin turning the axis knob to make the viewfinder's lines parallel.

Measure the readings on the axis knob. The measurement value represents the axis for the eye glasses. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to find the axis for the other lens.

References

Photo Credits

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Paul Lin

Paul Lin has been writing professionally since 2010. He has written scripts for the National Science Foundation and short films that have won awards at film festivals. His knowledge of broad topics along with visual scriptwriting allows…

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