Appraising your PD:
This measurement is the distance between the centre of your pupils that is measured in millimetres.
Opticians do not tend to give out this measurement as it encourages patients to buy their spectacles from them whereas you can buy cheap spectacles online or designer glasses at a fraction of the price online. It is usually recorded as 1 measure for example 60 (60mm) but can also be shown as R 29 L 31. When written like this it is the individual distance from you right and left pupils to the centre of your nose.
When Varifocals, High Prescriptions or Prisms are ordered the measurement is ordinarily split separately. On the whole, if you have a single vision prescription, it will be written down as one value.
If you do not know this measurement and don’t want to measure it yourself then most online opticians will make your PD the national average (63) for men and (60) for women.
Ask a family member or friend to physically measure your pupillary distance:
This is the easiest method for measuring you PD. Your friend will have to place a ruler above your eyes, just across your forehead.
Next ask your friend to close their right eye and you then look directly into their left eye. Request your friend to slide the rule to bring about the zero value is in the centre of your right pupil and to retain the ruler very stable across your brow. So, now look straight into your friends right eye with them closing their left eye.
Your acquaintance will then read off the measurement to the centre of your left pupil. And that’s it! It really is that easy! Please see the diagram below to help you further.
Using your latest spectacles to evaluate you PD with help from a friend:
Notice how well your spectacles fit by seeing how steady they are when you put them on. Call For your mate to stand opposite you and verify on your lenses the position of your pupils with a non lasting marker.
There should be two lines visible in your line of sight, whilst you are viewing through your eyeglasses. Take off your glasses and measure the distance between the two markings. And that’s it! If the measurement reads 6cm the PD distance will be 60. If the measurement is 6.3cm then your PD will be 63.
If you have a varifocal measurement, then just measure across from your right eye to the centre of your nose and then again from the centre of your nose to your left eye and record the individual readings for both your left and right eyes. If you aren’t buying sunglasses with prescription lenses in then don’t worry about what’s in this article.
