屋顶棱镜通常就是能经由反射作用将光线行进方向只是单纯的改变90 °的光学棱镜的总称或代名词。经由两个平面反射和翻转的图像会在光轴上交会并向侧面翻转。

单独的普罗棱镜是型式最简单的屋顶棱镜，但他最常被用到的情况（双筒望远镜内的双普罗棱镜结构）并没有利用到屋顶棱镜的特性。

其他常见的屋顶棱镜有阿米西棱镜、阿贝-柯尼棱镜、施密特-别汉棱镜和五棱镜。

A roof prism (also called a Dach prism or Dachkanten prism, from the German: "Dachkante", lit. roof edge) is a reflective optical prism containing a section where two faces meet at a 90° angle. These two 90° faces resemble the roof of a building, giving this prism type its name. Reflection from the two 90° faces returns an image that is flipped laterally across the axis where the faces meet.