Pupillary distance is the distance in millimetres between the centres of your pupils. It is used to position the optical centre of each lens in front of your eye. Adult PDs commonly fall between about 54 and 74 mm.
Check your prescription first
Some eye-care professionals include PD on the prescription. If yours does, use that number.
Measure with a ruler and a mirror
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1
Prepare
Stand about 20 cm from a mirror in good light, holding a millimetre ruler against your brow.
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2
Close your right eye
Align the ruler's zero with the centre of your left pupil.
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3
Switch eyes
Close your left eye, open your right, and read the number at the centre of your right pupil.
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4
Repeat
Measure three times and use the average.
Ask someone to help
A friend can measure while you look at a distant object. Ask them to hold the ruler level and read from the same angle each time.
Single PD or dual PD?
A single PD is the full distance between pupils (e.g. 63). A dual PD gives each eye's distance from the centre of the nose (e.g. 31.5 / 31.5). Our lens builder accepts either.
You can also print our PD ruler. If you are not confident in your measurement, ask your eye-care professional.
