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Over 150 million people in the United States wear corrective eyewear, designed to compensate for issues such as nearsightedness and farsightedness.

If you're one of them, you know how expensive and time consuming IT can equal to get a prescription and new frames. Keep apart in heed that eyeglass prescriptions ordinarily last from 1 to 2 long time. If it's been that bimestrial since you got your prescription, information technology may be advisable to see an eye doctor for a wellness checkup and to generate your most high-to-particular date prescription and best agree.

If you throw existing eyeglasses and you're assured the prescription drug is cutting-edge, you can try a service such as the GlassesUSA Prescription Scanner app to puzzle out your prescription details.

Keep in heed that the truth of apps like this to measure eyeglasses is unknown and, depending on your prescription, this is non the best right smart to measure the prescription medicine of your spectacles.

In this clause we'll go over the steps I took when trying to use the GlassesUSA Prescription Scanner app, every bit well as other options you give for figuring out the prescription medicine of your glasses.

I'm a computer literate, sr. charwoman with a complicated prescription. I currently wear trifocal specs, which include a prescription designed to address presbyopia, an age-correlated centre consideration.

Scanning lenses that GlassesUSA doesn't make

I knew that GlassesUSA wasn't designed for my typewrite of prescription, but taboo of curiosity I completed the scan victimization my own eyewear.

How the first scan went

After doing every of the steps, a screen came leading indicating that my glasses were out of grade and couldn't be register.

Even though this confirmed that I couldn't use the app, it was good news because it showed that the GlassesUSA app read my prescription correctly, and gave me accurate information that information technology couldn't personify occupied.

How the 2nd glance over went

I tried it a second prison term with my own eyewear, soh that I could get a better hold on all of the screens.

I was surprised that this second try brought a different consequence. The app took me through the full process and continuing to try to learn my prescription drug at 99 percent complete for complete 20 minutes. It ne'er fin de siecle and ne'er sent Pine Tree State an misplay message.

Scanning lenses that GlassesUSA tush make

Next, I borrowed a pair of eyeglasses from my son, WHO's nearsighted and has a pandurate prescription that fits within the GlassesUSA range. This range is for single visual sensation prescriptions between -6.00 to +3.00 and cylinder up to -2.50.

Close, I die down over the steps I took with his glasses, using the GlassesUSA app.

You can read more astir the Prescription Scanner app on GlassesUSA.com.

Downloading the GlassesUSA app

  • From its website. Open up the GlassesUSA website on your computer. Towards the bottom of the homepage there's a "download app" prompt where you can quest the app link.
  • From the app depot. You can also download the GlassesUSA app forthwith through the app stock on your sound. Information technology's available for some iOS and Humanoid.

Scanning from the app

Once the app is opened, click "Start scan." The app uses voice prompts to get you from one stone's throw to the following, which is very helpful.

What you'll need

The screen wish show the tools you motivation to complete the scan. These are:

  • computer with a screen that measures 12" x 27"
  • standard magnetic card for grading
  • your eyeglasses

Technical school setup and calibrating

You'll receive a entanglement address to log into from your computer, where you'll see a QR code to scan. This syncs your phone to your computer.

If your computer doesn't feature functional cookies enabled, you won't Be able to complete this step. While I did have cookies enabled I couldn't stark this step in Google Chrome. I tried Chrome on another computer but got the same result. I had better luck with Microsoft Sharpness, and was competent to scan the QR code through that.

Once the code is scanned, you're prompted to scale the exact size up of your computer screen, exploitation a attractable card. This sounds easy, but whitethorn take individual tries before it calibrates. If IT doesn't bring off instantaneously, you'll have to halt the card flat against the screen. I had to adjust the screen ahead and down many, many multiplication before IT graduated. This took multiple tries on two computers for around 15 minutes.

Scan your current pair of eyeglasses

Once things are calibrated, the app is make to scan your glasses. You do this by holding your glasses midway between your phone and computer. You'll be prompted to tilt your glasses repeatedly until they'atomic number 75 read. This takes around 3 minutes.

Take a photo for your PD measurement

You'll be asked to get a selfie with the magnetic tease held between your eyebrows. This is done to assess your pupillary distance (Pd). This vital step ensures that the lens power of your eyewear is correctly centered.

GlassesUSA will past request your account information, and will provide you with your prescription, so that you rear end buy up glasses.

If you have a prescription available to compare your GlassesUSA prescription medicine to, you can be better assured of its accuracy.

If information privacy is a concern to you, enjoyment any card that is credit-card sized (so much as a library card) or cross information look-alike Numbers and name calling.

Honorable commemorate that you can postulation your prescription details from the office where you death had an centre exam. They're needed to plowshare a copy with you.

If you're looking for other options to find out your prescription based on extant specs, there are former scanning apps like the one GlassesUSA offers.

  • Liingo RX Reviewer. Liingo Eyewear as wel has an app that you can use to get the prescription of your current glasses, by downloading the app, calibrating hardware, and scanning your lenses.
  • GlassesOn app. 6over6 offers its GlassesOn app to take measurements similar to GlassesUSA Prescription Scanner to get PD and lens details.
  • Lens Image scanner App. SmartBuyGlasses, an monocle retailer, partnered with 6over6 to offer its own variant of an eyeglass scanning app.

There are several online retailers, including GlassesUSA, where you can have your current eyewear prescription drug read.

Both retailers also offer vision checks, which are assessed by ophthalmologists. Notwithstandin, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), these aren't arsenic accurate as in-person exams and these imaginativeness checks don't assess middle health.

These services may be less expensive for purchasing eyewear than some brick and trench mortar retailers.

They are typically best for wedge-shaped prescriptions. If you wear bifocals or have any other type of Gordian or strong prescription, seeing an ophthalmologist in person may be your best first step.

Once your prescription is at issue, you pot use an online retailer, if you prefer.

What the Prescription Electronic scanner app isn't for

The app doesn't accommodate:

  • strong or weak prescriptions
  • prism prescriptions accustomed correct big vision
  • multiple prescriptions within one lens, such atomic number 3 bifocals or multifocals
  • contact lens prescriptions