THE CLEAR VISION GUIDE

Spherical equivalent (SE / SER) explained

A summary value calculated as sphere plus half the cylinder.

Reading a prescription

How to understand it

Useful in some classifications and research, it discards cylinder orientation and cannot reproduce the full prescription.

An example

Teaching example: −2.00 + (−1.00 ÷ 2) = −2.50 D. The original cylinder and axis still matter.

A common mix-up

Do not order spectacles or contacts by substituting SE for the prescribed fields.

See the idea in a full guide →

Sources & verification

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