Use this vocabulary list for optic care in French when you visit your eye doctor in France or to figure out your eyeglass prescription. This glossary contains vocabulary for eye related defects as well as terms related to vision.
Make sure you check my sentences in French at the bottom of the page to help you out when you visit your ophthalmologist.
| French Term | English translations |
|---|---|
| l’acuité visuelle | visual acuity |
| l’amblyopie ou œil paresseux | amblyopia or lazy eye |
| l’amétropie | vision defect |
| l’astigmatisme | astigmatism |
| la cataracte | cataract |
| une conjonctivite | pinkeye |
| la cécité | blindness |
| le champs de vision | visual field |
| être daltonien | colorblind |
| DMLA (dégénérescence maculaire liée à l’âge) | Age-Related Macular Degeneration |
| flotteurs oculaires ou corps flottants | eye floaters |
| le glaucome | glaucoma |
| L’hypermétropie | hypermetropia |
| des lentilles de contact | contacts |
| des lunettes de vue | prescription glasses |
| malvoyant | visually impaired |
| des montures de lunettes | temples |
| la myopie | myopia |
| le nerf optique | optic nerve |
| l’œil droit | right eye |
| l’œil gauche | left eye |
| un œil qui pleure | watery eye |
| un ophtalmo (short for ophtalmologiste) | ophthalmologist (check out more health professionals in French) |
| un opticien à domicile | optician who comes to your place |
| un orgelet | stye |
| la paupière | eyelid |
| la presbytie | presbiopia |
| la rétine | retina |
| RD (rétinopathie diabétique) | diabetic retinopathy |
| la sécheresse oculaire | dry eyes |
| le strabisme | strabismus |
| des verres correcteurs | lenses |
| la vision | vision |
| la vision de loin | distance vision |
| la vision de près | near vision |
| la vue | eyesight |
Sentences in French
The following sentences might come handy when you visit your eye doctor.
J’ai la vue qui baisse.
My eyesight is getting worse.
Je vois des points noirs.
I see black spots.
Je vois trouble quand je lis.
My eyesight is blurry when reading.
J’ai mal à l’œil droit.
My right eye hurts.
Je suis myope et je porte des lentilles.
I have myopia and I wear contacts.
J’ai besoin de nouvelles lunettes de vue.
I need new prescription glasses.
Now that you’ve learned some vocabulary for optic care in French, I have a question for you: Have you ever heard the expression avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre?
