Common Abbreviations Used by Eye Care Specialists
When you take your child to any medical appointment, the medical staff will take notes. Depending on the circumstances, the physician may write a letter or report to another physician, complete a form you or the school has asked to have filled out, or share information about your child through written notes. You are legally entitled to request documentation related to your child’s medical care. Obtaining copies of letters between physicians or key forms will provide you with documentation you can share with other medical and educational personnel now and in the future. When you receive written material, you may find that it is so full of abbreviations and numbers that interpreting it is not easy.
If the documentation is from your child’s eye care specialist, then your child’s teacher of students with visual impairments or orientation and mobility specialist can assist you in interpreting the documentation. However, to help you interpret these notes independently, we have assembled a brief list of some of the more common abbreviations you may find on documents pertaining to your child’s eye health and care.
CF
Counts fingers or confrontation field
CV
Color vision
CVF
Central visual field
Dx
Diagnosis
FC
Finger counting
FEM
Fast eye movements
F + F
Fix and follow vision
HM
Hand motion
IOP
Intraocular pressure
LP
Light perception
N
Near, near vision
NLP
No light perception
OD
Right eye (oculus dexter)
OS
Left eye (oculus sinister)
OU
Both eyes (oculus uterque)
Px
Prognosis
Rx
Prescription
UTT
Unable to test
V, Va
Visual acuity
VF
Visual field
Adapted from Looking to Learn: Promoting Literacy for Students with Low Vision edited by Frances Mary D’Andrea and Carol Farrenkopf.