For glasses, a +6 prescription means you are long-sighted and require lenses with a power of +6 diopters to see clearly, particularly up close.
According to the provided reference, a "+" sign in front of the number indicates that you are long-sighted. The number itself, which is 6 in this case, represents the diopters needed for your lens. The reference also states, "the higher the number — the poorer your eyesight." Therefore, +6 signifies a notable degree of long-sightedness requiring significant correction.
Understanding Your Prescription Number
Your glasses prescription contains numbers that tell your eye doctor and optician the exact power your lenses need to be to correct your vision.
- Sign: The sign (+ or -) indicates whether you are long-sighted or short-sighted.
- Number: The number (like 6) indicates the strength of the lens required in diopters. The further the number is from zero (regardless of the sign), the stronger the prescription and generally the poorer your uncorrected eyesight.
| Sign | Condition | What it Affects Most |
|---|---|---|
| + | Long-sighted | Near vision |
| - | Short-sighted | Distance vision |
What +6 Diopters Means
A prescription of +6.00 diopters is considered a moderately high level of long-sightedness (also known as hyperopia).
- Meaning: It signifies that your eye focuses light behind the retina, causing nearby objects to appear blurry.
- Correction: A +6.00 lens is a convex lens that converges light more strongly, helping to shift the focal point forward onto the retina, thus improving clarity for close-up tasks like reading or using a computer.
- Implication: A higher positive number like +6 suggests a more significant need for correction, meaning uncorrected vision for close tasks would be quite challenging.
Practical Insights
- People with a +6 prescription often rely heavily on their glasses for reading, writing, and other near-vision activities.
- Sometimes, higher positive prescriptions can also impact distance vision, especially in younger individuals whose eyes have less ability to compensate by focusing harder.
- Lens options for prescriptions like +6 might include thicker lenses or require specialized high-index materials to make them thinner and lighter.
In summary, a +6 for glasses is the measure of the lens power needed to correct a significant level of long-sightedness, ensuring clear vision, particularly at close range.
