ou

[optilady1]

Long story short, have a patient who's been visiting me weekly to discuss her glasses with prism, and today she came in accusing our practice of writing her rx incorrectly. A discount optical located in a department store told her that we wrote her rx with Base out prism, not base in. Thankfully, I was able to print out her rx, and it said:

3D BI OU

She was told by the person at the optical that the OU meant out. She has been wearing them since February.

All the gals here were pretty shocked, had never heard of anything like that. Just had to share, because it's the first thing that's shocked me in a while.

[Wes]

Do you know if the person was a licensed optician or a frame stylist?

[NUECoptical]

She was told by the person at the optical that the OU meant out. She has been wearing them since February.

Dang! I wonder how long the other person has been working in optical? I'm trying to think of how they could get that OU stands for Base out!?! haha!

[fjpod]

Whether it is BI or BO, writing OU with regard to prism is not technically correct. It is ambiguous. OU literally means each eye OR either eye, so one could interpret your Rx to mean 1.5 in each eye so there would be 3 total...OR...3 in each eye for a total of 6. The proper way to write it is" 1.5D BO OD and 1.5D BO OS...OR...3.0D OD and 3.0D OS.

If someone came in to me with an Rx 3BO OU, I would call the practitioner and ask what they really mean.

[Tallboy]

I was once an untrained shmuck off the street who tried to fill an "OU" RX as out, that didn't work out well for the patient...

If I had not been left in the situation to fill that RX without an experienced optician near by to answer my questions it would have never happened.

[Wes]

I was once an untrained shmuck off the street who tried to fill an "OU" RX as out, that didn't work out well for the patient...

If I had not been left in the situation to fill that RX without an experienced optician near by to answer my questions it would have never happened.

Unfortunately this is the norm for American opticianry.

[Johns]

Whether it is BI or BO, writing OU with regard to prism is not technically correct. It is ambiguous. OU literally means each eye OR either eye, so one could interpret your Rx to mean 1.5 in each eye so there would be 3 total...OR...3 in each eye for a total of 6. The proper way to write it is" 1.5D BO OD and 1.5D BO OS...OR...3.0D OD and 3.0D OS.

If someone came in to me with an Rx 3BO OU, I would call the practitioner and ask what they really mean.

I was taught (Norm Ross) that OU is "Oculus Unitas" in Latin. The literal translation being "both eyes".

My 15 year old, a 2nd year Latin student, tells me that unitas means "unite" or "together".

I have never heard of unitas meaning "either".

[Wes]

I was taught it stood for oculus uterque, but apparently it can also mean oculus or oculi unitas and more.

oculus uterque (OU)

Latin term for "each eye," used in vision correction prescriptions to indicate both eyes. Also an abbreviation for "oculi unitas" or "oculi uniter," meaning both eyes working simultaneously together.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedic...oculus+uterque
http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.co...oculus+uterque
http://www.termwiki.com/EN:oculus_uterque_(OU)

[Johns]

I was taught it stood for oculus uterque, but apparently it can also mean oculus or oculi unitas and more.

oculus uterque (OU)

Latin term for "each eye," used in vision correction prescriptions to indicate both eyes. Also an abbreviation for "oculi unitas" or "oculi uniter," meaning both eyes working simultaneously together.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedic...oculus+uterque
http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.co...oculus+uterque
http://www.termwiki.com/EN:oculus_uterque_(OU)

Sounds like the only PROPER way is to write out either "Unitas" or "Uterque"!!

[Robert Martellaro]

Whether it is BI or BO, writing OU with regard to prism is not technically correct. It is ambiguous. OU literally means each eye OR either eye, so one could interpret your Rx to mean 1.5 in each eye so there would be 3 total...OR...3 in each eye for a total of 6. The proper way to write it is" 1.5D BO OD and 1.5D BO OS...OR...3.0D OD and 3.0D OS.

If someone came in to me with an Rx 3BO OU, I would call the practitioner and ask what they really mean.

O.U. could also be Oculi Unitas or Uniter, meaning both eyes working together, hence the potential confusion with the degree, but not the direction of the prism. OMD maybe?

[fjpod]

As I indicated earlier...OU can be interpreted two ways. So, write it OD and OS.

[theGross1]

Unfortunately this is the norm for American opticianry.

Except the part with the experienced optician near by

[optilady1]

I'm not an optometrist, and I agree that everything should be written as clear as possible, but I think that most opticians would interpret 3D BI OU as 3 diopters Base IN OU. I Can understand, the question of is it 1.5 in each eye. But what else would BI stand for? Especially when everything is prefaced with an all caps bold faced PRISM .

Besides, when all else fails, call the stinking doctor. But I'm sure who ever this was filled the rx on a saturday night or something. It may have been a mistake to begin with, and the guy who worked with her recently was trying to come up with a reason for the mistake. But come on, OU never means out.

[Wes]

Most people just don't start wearing that much prism out of the blue. The previous pair probably had a good deal of prism base in and should have been a clue.

[wmcdonald]

The very fact that ANY Optician had difficulty understanding this clear Rx draws even greater clarity on the need for education and training. We continue to dumb ourselves down with each new generation. OU has been aptly described by Wes above, and I will not go into it further, but this was not complicated........if you knew what you were doing. You may even find a variety of meanings from the Latin, as described by our OD friend above.........but as long as I can remember, any Optician could have understood this Rx. We are taught (if we are taught at all in these silly "apprenticeships") that OU is both eyes. The key here is the word taught, which is the problem we face in Opticianry.

[MikeAurelius]

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...if OU is supposed to mean "out", then what does the BI mean? Enquiring minds wish to know ROFL!!

[optilady1]

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...if OU is supposed to mean "out", then what does the BI mean? Enquiring minds wish to know ROFL!!

I know mike, that's what everyone was asking me last night.

[Fezz]

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...if OU is supposed to mean "out", then what does the BI mean?

It means the prism goes both ways..........Duh!

[MikeAurelius]

it means the prism goes both ways..........duh!

roflmao!!

+∞

[Wes]

It means the prism goes both ways..........Duh!

Too funny, and accurate!

[Johns]

It means the prism goes both ways..........Duh!

Do you mean "either" way?

[Uncle Fester]

I was taught (Norm Ross) that OU is "Oculus Unitas" in Latin. The literal translation being "both eyes".

My 15 year old, a 2nd year Latin student, tells me that unitas means "unite" or "together".

I have never heard of unitas meaning "either".

I was taught O.U. stood for oculus unisis(sp?) but this was a long time ago and my google search comes up with most often oculus uterque so go figure!

[uncut]

Long story short, have a patient who's been visiting me weekly to discuss her glasses with prism, and today she came in accusing our practice of writing her rx incorrectly. A discount optical located in a department store told her that we wrote her rx with Base out prism, not base in. Thankfully, I was able to print out her rx, and it said:

3D BI OU

She was told by the person at the optical that the OU meant out. She has been wearing them since February.

All the gals here were pretty shocked, had never heard of anything like that. Just had to share, because it's the first thing that's shocked me in a while.

You're lucky that the filler of the Rx didn't interpret the Dr's Rx as: Ohhhhhhh, YOU!!!! Could have evolved into some unwanted attention!

[Judy Canty]

O.U. Oculi Uterque; Latin for both eyes.

--Courtesy of the Dictionary of Ophthalmic Optics

[optilady1]

It means the prism goes both ways..........Duh!

Love.