What Does PL Mean on Prescription Sunglasses?

Following the completion of an eye examination, an eye doctor writes a prescription for the patient that explains all the necessary measurements to improve their vision. By looking at the prescription card, you can tell that it contains many values and abbreviations—not quite understandable, which is why we have ophthalmologists, right? If you see "PL" in your prescription note and are wondering what it means, here’s what you need to know.

So, What Does PL Mean on a Glass Prescription?

In Ophthalmology, "PL" or "Pl." stands for Plano. Consider the number "zero" (00) whenever you come across it in prescription sunglasses or any other evaluation of refractive error and vision. This suggests that the eye in question does not have any spherical correction. In simple words, neither focusing power nor correction would be present in the case of a Plano lens. If you see PL on your prescription, know that you do not need a prescription, as your eyes are 20/20.

Historically, lens grinders would create a prescription lens by beginning with a blank piece of glass with parallel front and rear surfaces. This glass would then be ground and polished to create the lens, mostly referred to as "planos" or "planes" in Latin since the surface was level on both sides of the frame. Although the days when this practice was common have long gone, ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians, still write “PL” or “PI” in the first or spherical component of a lens.

Prescription Measurement

-1.50, -1.25, -1.00, -.75, -.50, -.25, Plano +.25, +.50, +.75, +1.00. +1.25, +1.50

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