How to measure your pupillary distance (PD)
Which glasses shapessuit oval faces?
So, first thing’s first: what is pupillary distance (PD)? Essentially, it’s the distance between the centres of your pupils (the black bits in the middle of the eyes).
Your PD is an important part of your glasses prescription that makes sure you’re looking through the best spot in your lenses for clear vision. We’ll need this measurement if you’re buying your specs online.
Measuring your own PD
If you’d rather measure your PD yourself, or get a friend to help you out,have a look through our step-by-step guides.
1. Stand about 30cm away from a mirror
2. Looking at yourself, hold a ruler up against your eyebrows
3. Close your right eye, then line up the ruler so that 0mm is in line with the middle your left pupil
4. Look straight ahead again and then open your right eye and close your left
5. Your pupillary distance measurement will be the figure that linesupwith the centre of your right pupil
Measuring a friend’s pupillary distance
- To measure someone else’s PD, have them look at something around 20 feet away from them with both their eyes open.
- Using a ruler, line up the 0mm mark with the centre of one pupil, then measure to the centre of the other.
- You just need to make sure that you stay out of their line of sight, they keep looking straight ahead with their eyes as still as possible, and that they don’t look at you while you’re measuring.
- Do this a few times to make sure the measurement you get isconsistent. The average pupillarydistance for adults is usually between
54-74mm.
If you have a prescription with us, you can always give your store a call to ask for your
pupillary distance measurement.
