Ophthalmology Abbreviations: A Complete List for Residents and Students
Last updated: October 2026
Ophthalmology notes can look like code to new residents, students and other specialties. This list explains the abbreviations you will meet most often in clinic notes, referral letters and theatre lists.
Safety note: OD, OS and OU are on many "error-prone abbreviation" lists because they can be misread (for example as ear abbreviations AD, AS and AU). In prescriptions, write "right eye", "left eye" or "both eyes" in full.
Eyes, vision and refraction
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| RE / OD | Right eye (oculus dexter) |
| LE / OS | Left eye (oculus sinister) |
| BE / OU | Both eyes (oculus uterque) |
| VA | Visual acuity |
| UCVA / UDVA | Uncorrected (distance) visual acuity |
| BCVA / CDVA | Best-corrected (distance) visual acuity |
| PH | Pinhole acuity |
| CF / FC | Counting fingers / finger counting (usually with a distance, e.g., CF 1 m) |
| HM | Hand movements |
| PL / PR | Perception of light / projection of rays |
| NPL | No perception of light |
| N6, N8… | Near vision on a reading chart |
| D, DS, DC | Dioptre, dioptre sphere, dioptre cylinder |
| SE / SEQ | Spherical equivalent |
| Add | Near addition in a prescription |
| IPD | Interpupillary distance |
| PD | Ambiguous: pupillary distance or prism dioptre — check the context |
| AR / PMT | Autorefraction / post-mydriatic test (refraction) |
Examination
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SLE | Slit-lamp examination |
| L/L, LLC | Lids and lashes; lids, lashes and conjunctiva |
| K | Cornea, or keratometry reading (context) |
| AC / PC | Anterior chamber / posterior chamber |
| KP | Keratic precipitates |
| IOP | Intraocular pressure |
| GAT / NCT | Goldmann applanation tonometry / non-contact tonometry |
| PERRLA | Pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation |
| RAPD | Relative afferent pupillary defect |
| EOM | Extraocular movements |
| CT / PCT / APCT | Cover test / prism cover test / alternate prism cover test |
| CDR / C:D | Cup-to-disc ratio |
| DFE | Dilated fundus examination |
| IDO | Indirect ophthalmoscopy |
| NRR | Neuroretinal rim |
Common diagnoses
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| POAG / PACG | Primary open-angle / primary angle-closure glaucoma |
| PACS / PAC | Primary angle-closure suspect / primary angle closure |
| OHT | Ocular hypertension |
| NTG | Normal-tension glaucoma |
| PXF / PEX | Pseudoexfoliation |
| PDS / PG | Pigment dispersion syndrome / pigmentary glaucoma |
| AMD / ARMD | Age-related macular degeneration |
| nAMD / GA | Neovascular AMD / geographic atrophy |
| CNV / MNV | Choroidal / macular neovascularisation |
| PCV | Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy |
| DR / NPDR / PDR | Diabetic retinopathy / non-proliferative / proliferative |
| DME / DMO / CSME | Diabetic macular oedema / clinically significant macular oedema |
| BRVO / CRVO | Branch / central retinal vein occlusion |
| BRAO / CRAO | Branch / central retinal artery occlusion |
| RRD / TRD | Rhegmatogenous / tractional retinal detachment |
| PVD | Posterior vitreous detachment |
| ERM / MH / VMT | Epiretinal membrane / macular hole / vitreomacular traction |
| CSCR / CSC | Central serous chorioretinopathy |
| PVR | Proliferative vitreoretinopathy |
| ROP | Retinopathy of prematurity |
| HSK / HZO | Herpes simplex keratitis / herpes zoster ophthalmicus |
| VKC / AKC | Vernal / atopic keratoconjunctivitis |
| MGD / DED | Meibomian gland dysfunction / dry eye disease |
| KC | Keratoconus |
| FECD | Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy |
| TED / TAO | Thyroid eye disease / thyroid-associated orbitopathy |
| NAION / AAION | Non-arteritic / arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy |
| GCA | Giant cell arteritis |
| IIH | Idiopathic intracranial hypertension |
| INO | Internuclear ophthalmoplegia |
| CPEO | Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia |
| ET / XT / HT | Esotropia / exotropia / hypertropia (E, X, H alone = phoria) |
| VKH | Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease |
Procedures and treatments
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Phaco | Phacoemulsification |
| ECCE / SICS | Extracapsular cataract extraction / small-incision cataract surgery |
| CCC | Continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis |
| PCIOL / ACIOL | Posterior / anterior chamber intraocular lens |
| PCR | Ambiguous: posterior capsule rupture or polymerase chain reaction |
| Nd:YAG | Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser (capsulotomy, iridotomy) |
| LPI / PI | Laser peripheral iridotomy / peripheral iridectomy |
| SLT / ALT | Selective / argon laser trabeculoplasty |
| Trab / MMC | Trabeculectomy / mitomycin C |
| MIGS | Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery |
| GDD | Glaucoma drainage device (tube) |
| PRP | Panretinal photocoagulation |
| IVI / anti-VEGF | Intravitreal injection / anti-vascular endothelial growth factor |
| PDT | Photodynamic therapy |
| PPV / SB | Pars plana vitrectomy / scleral buckle |
| SO / C3F8 / SF6 | Silicone oil / perfluoropropane / sulphur hexafluoride tamponade |
| PK / PKP | Penetrating keratoplasty |
| DALK | Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty |
| DSAEK / DMEK | Descemet stripping automated / Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty |
| CXL / C3R | Corneal collagen cross-linking |
| PRK / LASIK / SMILE | Corneal laser refractive procedures |
| ICL / PIOL | Implantable collamer lens / phakic IOL |
| LRI | Limbal relaxing incision |
| DCR | Dacryocystorhinostomy |
Investigations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OCT / OCTA | Optical coherence tomography / OCT angiography |
| RNFL / GCIPL / GCC | Retinal nerve fibre layer / ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer / ganglion cell complex |
| CMT / CST | Central macular thickness / central subfield thickness |
| FFA / FA | Fundus fluorescein angiography |
| ICGA | Indocyanine green angiography |
| FAF | Fundus autofluorescence |
| USG / B-scan | Ocular ultrasound |
| UBM / AS-OCT | Ultrasound biomicroscopy / anterior segment OCT |
| HVF / SAP | Humphrey visual field / standard automated perimetry |
| MD / PSD / VFI / GHT | Mean deviation / pattern standard deviation / visual field index / glaucoma hemifield test |
| CCT | Central corneal thickness |
| ECC / ECD | Endothelial cell count / density (specular microscopy) |
| ERG / EOG / VEP | Electroretinogram / electro-oculogram / visual evoked potential |
| TBUT / Schirmer | Tear break-up time / Schirmer test |
Learning the language of the field helps with everything else. Next, try our emergencies on call guide and landmark trials summary.
📘 Want more exam-ready material? See Ophthalmology Explorer on Kindle, or browse all my books.
Looking for an eye specialist in Ahmedabad? Learn about our Eye Department or book a consultation with Dr. Dhaval Patel.