Finding the right size and fit of your glasses is important. It has a big influence both on your vision and your appearance. So the fit of your eyewear is important to both the functionality of your glasses and the aesthetics. You do wish to both see well and look great.
When you wish to find the right size and fit of your glasses there are several measures to consider. At Carlottas Village we find the below list to be the most important measures to check out before you buy new glasses.
It has become sort of an industrial standard to print some of this information in the left temple of your eyewear, like this:
The frame of the above drawing would have a lens width of 53 mm.
The frame of the above drawing would have a bridge width of 20 mm
The temple length of the above frame would be 140 mm
The "CE" marking is to inform that the frame complies with the European Union tests of eyewear as a product to be worn close to your skin. The "TITAN" marking means that this frame has temples and front made of titanium. The "HELIUM" marking is the style name and the "C1" is the colour code. The last marking "base 4.5" is the lens base. This tells the optician which type of lens would be the best fit for this frame.
So now let us find the best size of eyewear for you. To do this we need the two last measures of the above list. The total frame width should be quite close to your face width. Your pupils should - ideally - be centered in the lens within a square of about 10x10mms. That said fashion or style may lead you to choose a very large frame that does not fit within these standard measures. Or sometimes people find it cool to wear very small round frames that actually might be too narrow, but that is all part of the desired look
At this point you would wish to have your own measures in hand. There are more ways to do this. First, we will find your pupillary distance (PD). The PD is the difference between the centers of your pupils in millimeters. Generally the ranges are within 52 and 74 mm. The average PD for women is 62 mm. The average PD for men is 72 mm.
After measuring the PD we will measure the width of your face. Most frames have a width within 125 and 150 mm so this is the range you can also expect for your face width.
You will need a ruler with millimeters on it. You can do the measuring either with the help of a friend or on your own. The PD of the person below is 64.
Ask your friend to hold the ruler above your eyes. The "0" of the ruler should be precisely at the center of one of your pupils. Your friend should now cover up one of his/her eyes and check the number exactly at the center of the pupil of your other eye. It sounds much more complicated than it is... For you face width I would suggest marking it on a mirror with a pen that can be taken off again. Then you just have to measure the distance with your ruler.
If you are on your own hold the ruler above your eyes in front of a mirror. The "0" of the ruler should be precisely at the center of one of your pupils. Cover up one of your eyes and check the number exactly at the center of the pupil of the other eye. It sounds much more complicated than it is... For you face width I would suggest marking it on a mirror with a pen that can be taken off again. Then you just have to measure the distance with your ruler.
Voila - now you are good to go glasses shopping...
