Focal length of the lens medium. The quantity is also known as the optical power of the lens. The corresponding front focal distance is: and the back focal distance: In the sign convention used here, the value of "R" will be positive if the first lens surface is convex, and negative if it is concave. The value of "R" is negative if the second surface is convex, and positive if concave. Note that sign conventions vary between different authors, which results in different forms of these equations depending on the convention used. For a spherically curved mirror in air, the magnitude of
Lens clock clock can be used if a dial thickness gauge is not available. To do this, the contact lens is placed concave side up on a table or other hard surface. The lens clock is then brought down on it such that the center prong contacts the lens as close to its center as possible, and the outer prongs rest on the table. The thickness of the lens is then the sagitta formula_4 in the formula above, and can be calculated from the optical power reading, if the distance between the outer prongs is known. Lens clock A lens clock is