How to measure your PD (Pupillary Distance)

eye care, glasses

How to measure your PD (Pupillary Distance)

Learn how to measure your Pupillary Distance (PD) with our little guide.

Your Pupillary Distance (PD) is the distance between the centre of one pupil to the centre of the other pupil (the blacks of your eyes) measured in millimetres.

This measurement is an important piece of information that we need to deliver the very best vision in your new glasses.

Your PD is usually written as one value (e.g. 66mm) but sometimes written as 33/33 if you are symmetrical or 34/32 if one eye is slightly further away from the centre of the nose than the other, which is very common.

The average PD measurements for women is 62mm and for men 64mm. Between 58 and 68 is quite normal though.

A woman whose Pupillary distance is being measured with a ruler in front of her eyes

We do encourage you to ask your optician for your PD measurement. If your optician is reluctant to give you this, you’ll be pleased to hear that it is easy enough to measure your PD using a simple ruler and the help of a friend.



Here is how you can measure your pupillary distance:

METHOD

  1. Pupillary distance can be easily measured looking in a mirror and using a ruler! Please follow these steps:
  2. Stand in front of a mirror at a distance of about 20cm (8 inches)
  3. Close your right eye Place your ruler flat against the mirror and align it horizontally with the millimetre scale pointing upwards
  4. Looking over the top of the ruler with your left eye, align the zero mark of the ruler in the centre of your left pupil
  5. Now open your right eye and close your left but keep your head still and the ruler in the same position
  6. Read the millimetre measurement corresponding to the centre of your right pupil

 

To be sure, you can repeat this process a few times for consistency.

Checked by
Sarah Bartlett FBDO
Dispensing Optician Manager
With over 20 years of experience in the optical profession, Sarah is Eye Emporium’s dispensing optician manger at our Faversham store in Kent. With a strong focus on personalised eyecare and eyewear solutions for patients of all ages and expertise in paediatric eyecare, Sarah is also skilled in fitting advanced lens technology, progressive lenses and speciality eyewear for digital device use. Passionate about providing high quality care, Sarah always stays up-to-date on the latest trends in eyewear fashion and innovations in lens design to offer the best options for individual needs.
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