Help centre

Lens guide

Everything you need to know about choosing the right lenses — from reading your prescription to picking the right index for your eyesight strength.

Jump to Your prescription Lens types Lens index Coatings How to order

1 Start here

How to read your prescription

Your optician gives you a paper (or digital) prescription after an eye test. It looks technical, but it only has a few numbers you need. Here is what each column means.

Abbreviation	Full name	What it means	What you need to do
SPH	Sphere	Your main lens power. Negative (-) = short-sighted. Positive (+) = long-sighted.	Enter this number for each eye in the power dropdown.
CYL	Cylinder	Astigmatism correction. Many people have 0.00 here.	We currently accept sphere-only prescriptions. Contact us if you have CYL.
AXIS	Axis	The angle of your astigmatism correction (0–180°). Only relevant if you have CYL.	Not required if CYL is 0.
ADD	Addition	Extra power needed for reading (bifocal / varifocal). Usually found in reading glasses.	We currently offer single vision lenses only.
OD / R	Oculus Dexter	Your right eye.	Select this value for "Right eye".
OS / L	Oculus Sinister	Your left eye.	Select this value for "Left eye".

✓

We accept prescriptions from -0.25 to -10.00

Select the nearest 0.25 step. For example, if your SPH is -2.25, select -2.25. Your prescription must be less than 1 years old.

Example prescription

OD (right)

-2.50

0.00

—

OS (left)

-1.75

-0.50

180

—

In this example, enter -2.50 for the right eye and -1.75 for the left. The CYL of -0.50 means mild astigmatism — contact us and we can advise.

2 Choose your lens

Which lens type is right for you?

All our lenses are precision-ground with a standard anti-reflection (AR) coating. You can upgrade to blue light blocking at checkout — here is how they compare.

Clear lens

Everyday use

Our standard lens. Optically precise with a broadband AR coating that reduces glare from sunlight, overhead lighting and wet roads.

Neutral, true colour rendering

Anti-reflection coating included

Scratch-resistant hard coat included

Included at the base frame price

Blue light blocking lens

Screens & digital work

Filters 420–450 nm high-energy visible (HEV) light emitted by phones, monitors and LED lighting. A slight warm tint is visible in very bright conditions.

Reduces digital eye strain

May improve sleep quality if worn in the evening

All AR and scratch coatings included

+£15 at checkout

Not sure which to choose?

If you spend more than 4 hours a day looking at screens, blue light blocking is worth considering. If you mainly use your glasses for driving or general outdoor use, clear lenses are the better choice.

3 Pick your index

Understanding lens index

The lens index (or refractive index) describes how efficiently a lens material bends light. A higher index means the lens can be made thinner for the same correction strength — which matters most for stronger prescriptions.

1.56

Standard

Up to ±2.00

Ideal for mild prescriptions. Full optical clarity. The same lens you would receive from most high-street opticians.

1.61

Thin

±2.00 to ±4.00

20% thinner than 1.56. Lighter on your face and looks better in most frame styles. Included in the base price.

What's included on every lens

Every lens comes with a multi-layer coating stack applied at our optical lab. You do not need to add these as extras.

Anti-reflection (AR) coating

Eliminates reflections from the front and back of the lens, reducing glare from oncoming headlights, overhead strip lighting and bright windows. Makes your lenses appear virtually invisible in photos.

Hard coat (scratch resistance)

A durable polymer layer applied over the base lens. Significantly increases resistance to light scratches from everyday handling — putting glasses down lens-down, cleaning with a sleeve and so on.

UV-400 protection

Blocks ultraviolet light up to 400 nm. Included on clear lenses as well as blue light lenses — your eyes are protected even when wearing plain frames without a tint.

Dust & water repellent (hydrophobic)

A nano-scale hydrophobic layer makes water bead off and reduces the surface area where dust can stick. Your lenses stay cleaner for longer between wipes.

5 Ready to order

How to order prescription lenses

Ordering prescription glasses at WOOglasses takes about 2 minutes. Here is the exact sequence on the product page.

Choose your frame

Browse and pick any frame tagged "Rx" or "Prescription". These frames are compatible with our in-house lens lab.

Select frame colour and variant

Pick your preferred colourway using the colour swatches. The price shown updates to reflect the selected variant.

Choose lens type

Select Clear or Blue light blocking (+£15). Both are single vision with all coatings included.

Choose lens index

Select the index based on your prescription strength. 1.61 is included in the base price. 1.67 is +£30 and 1.74 is +£50.

Enter your prescription

Enter the SPH value for each eye using the dropdowns (Left/OS and Right/OD). We work in 0.25D increments.

Add to cart and checkout

Your lens choices are saved as order notes. Our opticians review every prescription order before it goes to the lab.

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Prescription delivery time

Standard frames ship in 5–7 working days. Prescription orders take an additional 3–5 days for lens grinding and fitting. You will receive a dispatch confirmation email when your order leaves the lab.

Ready to find your frames?

Browse our prescription-compatible frames and configure your lenses in 2 minutes.

Shop prescription glasses