What are Plano Lenses?
Overview
Plano lenses don’t provide any vision correction, but they can still be useful. They offer eye protection and comfort features like UV blocking, anti-reflective coating and blue-light filtering.
If your prescription shows “PL” or “0.00” in the SPH box, it simply means that eye doesn’t need distance or reading correction. For the eye to have no correction at all, the CYL (astigmatism) value should also be “0.00,” and there should be no ADD power listed.
What does plano mean on eye prescription?
Plano lenses are optical lenses with 0.00 diopters of spherical power. Different from single vision lenses and progressive lenses, they do not provide vision correction. They are commonly used when:
- You want the look of glasses without changing your vision
- You want UV, anti-reflective, or blue-light protection without prescription power
On your prescription: “Plano,” “PL” or “0.00” in SPH means no near or distance correction. If you still have power in the astigmatism CYL and AXIS fields, that eye is not plano.
Even if the SPH box shows “PL” or “0.00,” you may still need glasses for reading if your prescription includes an ADD value. This is common in prescriptions written like:
RT: PLANO ADD +2.00
LT: +1.00 ADD +2.00
Here, plano refers to the distance portion only, while the ADD power provides the magnification needed for near vision.
Plano vs demo lenses
Not all non-prescription lenses are the same. Here is the difference that matters:
Bottom line: Demo lenses are placeholders. Replace them with plano or prescription lenses before wearing your frames.
Benefits of plano lenses
Should I wear plano glasses?
EXPERT'S TIP!
“For everyday comfort, pair plano lenses with anti-reflective and UV protection. If you work at screens, add a blue-light filter like zFORT® for extra protection.”
Maria Horan, Dispensing Optician
You can even find plano contact lenses. So what does plano mean in contact lenses? Plano contact lenses are the same as plano in glasses; they are not corrective lenses for visual impairments. Usually, plano colour contact lenses fall into this category of non-prescription contacts that people wear mostly for cosmetic purposes.
How to buy plano lenses
If plano lenses fit your needs, ordering at Vision Direct is simple:
1. Choose your frames
Pick any style you like. Use Virtual Try-On if you want to preview the fit.
2. Select lens type
Choose Non-Prescription (Plano) during checkout for the eye that shows PL / 0.00 in SPH. If the other eye needs correction, select the appropriate prescription there.
3. Upload your prescription
Even for mixed orders, include your full prescription so our lab matches thickness and appearance across both lenses.
4. Customise your lenses
Explore additional lens coatings to fit your needs. Add anti-reflective, UV, scratch-resistant or blue-light filters. For sunglasses, choose your tint or polarisation option.
5. Checkout
Once you’re certain of your pick and customisations, simply complete your order. Our optical lab makes your lenses to your specifications and ships them to your door.
Need a refresher? Check out our guides on How to Read Your Prescription and How to Buy Glasses Online.
Final thoughts
Plano lenses are a simple way to get protection and style without changing your vision. They are ideal when your SPH reads PL / 0.00, when only one eye needs correction or when you want coatings like UV or blue-light without prescription power.
Still unsure if plano is right for you?
Talk to one of our certified optical experts for quick, personalised advice before ordering.