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Pupil Distance & How It’s Measured
Posted by The Eyeglasses Guy on November 19, 2008 · 4 Comments
Pupil distance is the distance (measured in mm) between the pupils of your eyes when looking far away in the distance.
When prescription lenses are cut for the frame you have selected, our edging computers are programmed with your pupil distance so that the exact centers of the lenses are directly in front of your pupils.
If the prescription lenses are not set at the same distance as the distance between your eyes, then an unwanted prism is induced which may cause eyestrain.
In lower prescriptions, the amount of prism induced will be of no consequence and will not cause eyestrain. For prescriptions over (+) or (-) 2.00, knowing your P.D. is important.
Ask your eye doctor to take the measurement at the time of your eye examination.
Call the last place that made your glasses for you and they should be able to tell you what it is.
Go into any Optical facility and ask them to measure it for you. It will take only seconds to do and they shouldn’t charge you for it.
Pupil distance can be measured in one of two ways. The first is monocular measurement, which will result in values somewhere between 26-36 mm.
The second type is a binocular measurement, in which case the number will typically be somewhere between 54-72mm. A binocular measurement is the exact total distance between your eyes, but if your face is not perfectly symmetrical, then this number may not be split equally between both of your eyes.
The first number is the P.D. number we require to make your lenses. The second number (63) is the near pupil distance. This number is only needed when reading glasses are required.
It you still have questions or concerns about your P.D. measurement, please call 1-800-248-9427 and one of our highly trained operators will be able to help you.
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You should be able to go in to an optical in your local mall and get that done for free. It will take about 60 seconds to do and it does NOT require an entire exam to be done. If you are an adult and have had glasses made before; that measurement never changes. Call your previous optical and ask them what is the measurement that they used. You can use that same measurement.
DO NOT measure your own Pupil Distance. A PD measurement MUST BE measured by an authorized optical professional only.
Hello,
I am ordering glasses online, and I had five friends measure my pupil distance, they got 59, 61.61.62 and 62…which number should I go with? I called the eye doctor and they said that I would have to pay for a whole appointment, is it alright if I go by my friends measurements?
Here’s what I got from the doctor:
“She should be looking at the bridge of your nose with you standing about 20 inches or almost arms length in front of her. If you have a copy of her original prescription with the distance PD we can determine what the near PD should be.
Dr. Dhavid Cooper
CEO”
I’m planning on ordering on-line a second pair of reading glasses for my wife to use around the house.
Re: ordering glasses for reading only purposes for my wife
I have one question: Should I measure her PD when she is looking at a distant object or should this be when she is looking as something only a couple of feet away as she will only be using these for reading and not distance vision.
Tnx,
Phil Dlouhy