How to Measure Your PD (Pupillary Distance) with SelectSpecs (HD)

:: Watch the updated, better quality "How to Measure Your PD" video here: • How to Measure Your PD... ::
When buying new prescription glasses, you will need to know your Pupillary Distance (PD) measurement. Simply put, this is the distance between the centre of your pupils.
There are 2 types of PD Measurement - one for Distance and one for Reading.
At SelectSpecs we have put this video together to show you How to Measure Your PD yourself (with the help of another person).
It covers both types of PD as well as a couple of different methods you can use including an actual PD Rule or a standard mm ruler.
If you would like to purchase a PD Rule like the one featured in this video you can get one here: -
goo.gl/L7hCZd
We don't recommend using a mirror to measure your PD by yourself.
Here are the steps you should follow: -
How to measure a friend's distance PD:
==============================
1. Sit opposite your friend at arm's distance apart.
2. Place the PD ruler on the bridge of your friend's nose.
3. Close your right eye and look directly into your friend's right eye. Your friend should look into your open eye.
4. Note the measurement from the centre of the ruler to the centre of your friend's pupil in millimeters.
5. Repeat with your other eye open.
6. Add the numbers together to work out your friend's PD measurement.
How to measure a friend's reading PD:
=============================
1. Sit opposite your friend at arm's distance apart.
2. Place the PD ruler on the bridge of your friend's nose.
3. Your friend should hold a pen around 30cm in front of their face and focus on it with both eyes.
4. Note the measurement from the centre of the ruler to the centre of each of your friend's pupils in millimeters.
5. Add the numbers together to work out your friend's PD measurement.
:: Watch the updated, better quality "How to Measure Your PD" video from 02/09/2016 here: • How to Measure Your PD... ::
Want us to answer your glasses queries? Ask us in the comments section below!
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[@thedawnroth]

This is the only accurate information on measuring a PD that came up on page one of my Google search. I'm an Optician who was curious to see if online orders were giving accurate info for measurements. Well done!

[@greenpris]

Ph cool. I bought single vision online glasses and I put that I had 73 mm PD in one pair and 70 PD in another one. Is that too bad for me?

[@CmdrTigerKing]

@@greenpris oooof 73 this man is not born for the VR world

[@ArceliaGomar]

I am so glad there's opticians occupied in helping us and not doing mistakes. Thank you!!

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

God forbid they just include this as part of an eye exam.

[@donnmccarthy8710]

Some states in the US include it as part of the prescription. Most don’t want to give it because they don’t want to encourage online ordering. To me that’s kinda petty. I gladly measure PDs for free.

[@alittlewheiser521]

You can measure your pd yourself but if you wear progressives don't bother. Monocular pd is especially important but your progressive height is quite often different in each eye. Even millimeters matter with progressive lenses. How can you measure your seg height if you're orderling frames you don't have on your face? You cant.

[@CmdrTigerKing]

most optometrists will measure PD free of charge

[@eagle287ruby8]

I imagine you work for free eh? God bless the queen!

[@kendrick10601]

@@donnmccarthy8710 I wish I was close to you. Just for this, I'd buy glasses to your shop.

[@grid462]

Today after i asked for it at an ASDA i was told "We can't, no-one can" inferring beyond ASDA that no seller would. I gather they're under no obligation to and it's a business and liability move but hey noted. I asked nicely and got answered with selfish bs that leaves me more likely to be living & driving with needlessly imperfect vision, felt rly nice. glad giving them minimal money

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Many thanks for your kind comment. It means a lot coming from someone like you.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

With all due respect, measuring a PD is pretty much the first thing you learn, within the first week, or even first day of your optical training. Ideally, opticians should give patients all the information they need, but if not, we believe our video shows people clearly how to go about measuring a PD if they need to. If people are not comfortable measuring a PD themselves they can send us an old pair of glasses and we can measure their PD from those.

[@thomasmcclain8116]

What about for Progressive lens?

[@calinrang5939]

in Germany the specialist measured two PDs for my glasses, separately: -One between nose and left eye axis -One between nose and right eye axis For there is no symmetry in nature,

[@mortezaaqili7510]

yes . i measure always monocular ipd

[@stevethea5250]

@@mortezaaqili7510 Germans are very efficient!

[@mortezaaqili7510]

@@stevethea5250 why?

[@mortezaaqili7510]

@@stevethea5250 many pepole have asymetryy its why we must measure monocular pd

[@alittlewheiser521]

That is your monocular PD and especially important if you have a high prescription.

[@billducas]

I've worn glasses for over 50 years, and never had a problem until last time. They had to remake them twice. Each time somebody different measured me, and each time they got different measurements. After the third time I was ready to give up and go someplace else. Still can't see very good out of my glasses. They said it was me. I told them I'm old enough to be your dad, and I've been wearing glasses for a lot longer than you've been alive, and never had this problem before. Even when reading my cell phone, the middle is clear but the outsides are blurry. I understand that I have to turn my head with progressive lenses, but the field of view is so narrow it's like looking through a tube.

[@arsenalfan8628]

You may need to buy a different type of progressive lens, perhaps one with a wider column as the narrowness is givig you problems.

[@CorkyMcButterpants]

_“I'm old enough to be your dad...”_ is the old fart equivalent of _“Do you know who I am”_ and is not a recommended approach. You only serve to aggravate the listener; whilst also sounding like a pompous tit!

[@767fresh]

@@CorkyMcButterpants THANKS for that … you made me laugh out loud (something we all need more of:-)

[@alittlewheiser521]

That's funny. That's how progressives are made. You peripheral vision won't be as clear as the channel you're meant to see thru. Different lenses have a "harder" peripheral than others. Premium progressives have a softer peripheral. If you wore a premium and then someone out you in a cheaper lens that may ne your problem. Insurance may cover the cheaper lenses so make sure you ask for a premium lens.

[@alittlewheiser521]

@@CorkyMcButterpants had a patient pull that stuoud.comment on me too. What an ass is what I thought. I've been trained and worked in the field for 25 years...have you trained in the field too? Not all progressives are the same and chances are you skimped on the price and didn't order a premium lens. That would be your fault Mr. I'm old enough to be your dad..

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

It depends on how strong your prescription is really. If you only have a small RX, you can usually get away with a slight difference, but you should always try to be as accurate as possible. Take the reading several times to be sure and if in doubt, you can always get a second opinion from someone else.

[@tsellers2]

Thanks for that, when my spouse went for an eye exam today we managed to charm the receptionist into giving us our PD's for free. Distance was same as what I had measured, but the readers were off by about 1.5 in my case and different for each side (29/30.5). This should facilitate future online purchases. In the case of my spouse we used the method here before she went and it matched within .5.

[@Gawandeakshay18]

Highly informative video. Appreciate you for this much needed information with us.👍🙂

[@dayanecherie3007]

Hi. And in people who have strabismus, does it perform exactly the same?

[@PlayJewel]

Why dont u make this pd ruler available as a print out? It would be easier

[@banchnotok]

It is available like everywhere

[@amandaadrienne837]

Banch Where?

[@tsellers2]

Thanks for the feedback. I also found a blog post about using dots on your existing lenses and as I was alone at the time I tired it. It made a difference on the readers by a factor of 3mm. Next when my spouse is around to help I will try your method and hope that they correlate so I can have some confidence. While looking around I noticed that even some optometrist forums have varying opinions as to which methods that they use are best and that even they can have different results.

[@Duryodhana1983]

Thanks for your answer, indeed I will confirm my measurement with an expert before doing anything else. Thanks again.

[@亮亮-s1u]

Thanks! I was trying to fill out an online prescription for Civil Eyewear, and this was the last field option... but I had no clue how to fill it out... Thanks!

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

We're glad that you found this video useful! Also, just for future reference, you are able to get great quality glasses from us too, at selectspecs.com ;)

[@Pomarian_lover]

Hira optical india 9815167921

[@ryanfwood]

2:07 gets me every time.

[@stevethea5250]

Pupillary distance (PD) If your PD is not in your prescription you can ask your Optometrist or follow on how to measure it yourself. The average adult PD is between 58-64mm, but varies by person.

[@CmdrTigerKing]

how many times is every time? you only need to measure your ipd once. 3:28 is better

[@vikrantchauhan826]

Very helpful video. thanks

[@oghueyfee]

My eye prescription is -4.50 on both eyes, does it matter If im 1mm pd off?

[@Lilylibra]

What a totally brilliant video, so helpful. I rang my opticians enquiring about my pd reading only to be informed that I would have to pay £40 for this privilege. Money for jam or what?!!!!!!!!!.

[@faeezahsahibdeen2564]

ahhhh i always forget how to do it!

[@lillyrocks2011]

Where i went to get the prescription and bought there new 👓 didn't give me the right information, I want to buy online glasses but I don't know my pd. I thought was easier to measure. ..if only the optics weren't do expensive to buy glasses. And it's horrible they don't want to give your numbers.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi, If you were planning to order some glasses from us, you should select a PD of 80 but be sure to leave a comment/note with your order to amend to 83. It does seem large, and considering it is so far from the average we would recommend you probably try to get your measurement confirmed at an opticians before ordering.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can always choose to send your old glasses to us when you place your new order - we can take your PD from an old pair of specs - as long as it has both lenses and the frame is not snapped in half ;)

[@wesleymccombe]

Try the new "Eye Measure" app if you have an iPhone X. Uses FaceID hardware and is super accurate. Does near and far which is great for bi-focals.

[@tiny559]

Wesley McCombe I can’t find the app is it called eye measure?

[@alchris18]

Thank you so much ! I was struggling to measure mine with a ruler. This app is great

[@imringolovemee]

Awesome! Thank you so much!

[@imringolovemee]

@@tiny559 Yes EyeMeasure

[@alittlewheiser521]

That's great the have an app. that can do that...but what about the seg. height if you're ordering bifocals? Unless you have the frame on your face you can't take a proper seg. height.

[@asitdas1164]

What if pd measurement is not perfectly alright?

[@dharmendraramteke3638]

Thanks for Information...

[@manojchintu6372]

Thanks....well explained

[@curlyjk]

Excellent, clear instructions. Thank you very much.

[@sweetmartyca]

Hi everyone, I'm wondering how would you measure far pd for each eye and near pd for each eye. And would you be able to do that on a lens as well? thanks

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

If you get a PD Rule (Link in video description) and follow the instructions in the video and/or text description you should be set. If you want the PD for each eye, just take the 2 numbers as measured by the PD rule. One for each eye. The second half of the video shows how to measure a near PD.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Or send us some old glasses (with your order) and we can measure your PD from those if you wish. Be sure to select the option as you place the order, and let us know if you want them back.

[@11RIHAM]

The video already described how to measure IPD for distance, as for near IPD you can subtract 2 or 3 mm from your distance measure to get the near(reading) IPD.

[@iplayloud2]

My current glasses say 49, my optometrist says my PD is 52. I spent alot of time with a clear ruler and it's nowhere under 65 🤯🤯🤯

[@greenpris]

Ph cool. I bought single vision online glasses and I put that I had 73 mm PD in one pair and 70 PD in another one because i measured my PD different days and results were different. Is that too bad for me?

[@garyburt2294]

Ask your optician for your PD measurement. If they refuse to give it to you, tell them The Freedom of Information Act clearly states it is an offence for any organisation holding personal information on a person, not to give that information to them if requested. If they still refuse, report them to Trading Standards and then go round to the local court and sue them for it. They will end up paying all the costs.

[@od4407]

LOL. Wow. From 0-100 very fast

[@mindyc3924]

Gary Burt thanks for this

[@PlayJewel]

Gary Burt what if i live in a third world country with no such laws?

[@Whatisright]

One has to wonder if getting glasses is even possible in such a country.

[@Native722]

Is this really possible?

[@otissumnerbrown]

Thaks! Excellent information to measure PD.

[@NickLeduc]

You say to "close your right eye and look directly into your friend's right eye", but in the video, the arrow points from his left eye to her right eye

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

+Nick Leduc That is correct, you close your right eye, then look out of your unclosed left eye directly into your friends right eye.

[@carolynpincus.nicejobmyjet8407]

Nick Leduc )’9

[@Duryodhana1983]

I am totally shocked! I just bought a pair of binoculars (Celestron 20x80) and I can barely see thru them (with both eyes at the same time). The reason? I have a interpupillary distance of 83~84mm! I was doing some research and I cannot find any person with this scale. There is a study performed by Neil A. Dodgson, from Cambridge University called "Variation and extrema of human interpupillary distance" that you can find as a link in Wikipedia in the article "Pupillary distance" (continues)...

[@dieptruong7652]

Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$

[@otiebrown9999]

Excellent. 62!

[@sitaramborkar4914]

My eye specialist measured my of on auto computer and read as 69mm. Is that possible to measure through eye checking machine?

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Yes it is. You might be also be surprised to know that we have a machine can also measure your PD from an old pair of glasses too!

[@Anti-Ratshield-vel-Antysystem]

Thanks

[@DavidRiehl756]

Zenni Optical has a PD ruler that you can print out.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi David, yes they do, but we would not recommend this because the accuracy is questionable due to the way different printers may resize the image to fit the page, and because paper is floppy and hard to keep straight. The 2 options we would recommend are: 1) you can buy a rigid plastic PD ruler from our website for just £1 (with free delivery!) 2) Using the MIRA PD measurement app - just select "Get PD Measurement by App" in the PD drop down menu, when filling out your prescription, to receive an email with the download link. I hope you find this helpful!

[@DavidRiehl756]

SelectSpecs And where would I be able to download the Mira PD app? Can't find it on the Google Play Store. Update: Never mind, I guess it's only for IOS devices. 😔

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi David, the MIRA App is currently only available for IOS devices, however, compatibility for Android will be available in the future. Another suggestion I have for you is you can have you eyes tested by most local opticians for free - you can ask your optician what your PD measurement is. I hope this helps!

[@tylergates4075]

Or print it and match the phasing to an acutual ruler . Sorry no money for you XD

[@philipdarnall787]

@@SelectSpecsOfficial Nope. I wont do your work for free.

[@OpticiansIndia]

Excellent

[@hollygray3685]

What if mine say 5 1/2 mm and my glasses measurement only goes by whole numbers should I go up or down?

[@PPMOCRG]

I think it is probably 5 1/2 cm.

[@oghueyfee]

I just order glasses online and I was confused what a pd was. So i guessed and choose 62. Now I found out my pd and it is 63 just 1 mm off but I dont think it will effect my glasses.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi, You should be ok with the 1mm difference if you prescription is quite low. If you have a strong prescription, the PD becomes more important, but 1 mm is quite a small difference overall so you should be fine.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Happy to be of service.

[@MsVALEAN]

IF I SEND MY OLD GLASSES TO GET THE MEASUREMENTS WILL YOU GUYS SEND THEM BACK.

[@agfagaevart]

I found a 20 year old prescription with a PD of 72. would that still be valid now??

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

I'm going to say, probably not. We recommend you get yourself to the opticians and have a new eye test ;)

[@agfagaevart]

Eh?? What about 5:33 ??????

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Ah. you mean the PD... As mentioned, the PD generally doesn't change over time unless the size of your head has changed ;) or sometimes if you have suffered a head injury, condition or stroke or something. You should be ok, but 72 does sound like quite a large PD, considering the average is 63. If you have any doubt it's a good idea to get someone to help you measure it if you can, or you can send an old pair in for us to check, but if you have been using a PD of 72 for the last 20 years without problems then you should be good. Hope that helps.

[@---cr8nw]

If you haven't had an eye exam in 20 years, you're overdue. Save the DIY for next time. For now, get in to an optician. There's a lot more things about your eyes and your vision than just whether or not an old script still works.

[@vasel208]

Excellent. To recap my pd measurement will not change? What are the chances my pd will change? Thanks

[@evsunprieto5044]

what is the importance of knowing your pd measurements

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

PD or Pupillary Distance is the distance between the pupils in both eyes. We ask for a Pupillary Distance measurement in order to ensure that the optical centre of your lenses are correctly centred over your pupils. I hope this answers your question - if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

[@tsellers2]

A few days ago, I slightly modified the online instructions I found and used a pair of digital vernier calipers. When I stared up at a smoke detector in the ceiling with my head tilted, my daughter took my PD, then I had my spouse to it, and we arrived at 63. I had unreliable results going from the bridge of the nose however. Now that I have seen this I will do it again and get another measurement for the readers Rx. I read somewhere that you can have a margin for error of 1.5 on your PD? Thanks

[@Kananipatels23456]

nice video

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

yes, this will be ok :)

[@WinDynamo]

My PD Is 66.5, should I use 66 or 67?

[@khoward1411]

William McDavid 67

[@dzeez7394]

Did you go to school?

[@malararuna7878]

Thanks sir..

[@joebooty6108]

I have a question does it have to be exact

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

As accurate as posible is best, but it doesn't matter too much if you are out by 1mm or so.

[@The-Battle-Brother]

Right, because we all have that selectspecs ruler to hand! How about you use a normal ruler in an instructional video that most of the public have!

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi Battle Brother, if you skip to 02:54 in this video, you will see the instructions for using a standard mm ruler.

[@bryanalexismoya397]

Right, because passing on judgement and commenting on a video before watching it makes sense. How about you listen to all the instructions in this instructional video like most of the public on here have!

[@Portrait-in-Black]

@@bryanalexismoya397 Ooooh, someone's on their period! Chill out, will you.

[@bryanalexismoya397]

@@Portrait-in-Black damn that so sexist and unnecessary, hope that made you feel good. I was trying to make a point to the original person that actually needed to chill out.

[@Portrait-in-Black]

@@bryanalexismoya397 Shut up you white knight little bitch. Go cry to your fat mama. No one else cares. 😎

[@garretcathers8408]

Today I got an eye exam and I was measure at 61.5 PD but when I got one before my PD was 63. My glasses I have on now is 63. How much of a difference is this? I am thinking to get smaller PD glasses but won't if it's not a big deal. So some reason I see better with glasses than contacts. Weird I think.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi Garret, This slight difference would be within tolerance (2mm), so it should be fine, especially if your prescription is not too strong.

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi Garret, A PD Measurement is measured in millimetres (mm), so that is a difference of only 1.5mm - you probably wouldn't notice too much of a difference. That being said, if after a few weeks you are experiencing discomfort at all, then I would advise having your pd checked again.

[@garretcathers8408]

+SelectSpecs Thank you for your help.

[@skyy-ch1t44]

I just want it for my quest 2 lol

[@soumensutradhar6368]

I... Love eye tasting of... Mejarment

[@tukedmj]

Why bigger the PD and smaller the glasses get? Shouldn’t they be bigger

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi tukedmj, I'm not sure what gave you that impression. Your PD measurement is irrelevant to the size f your glasses. Your PD measurement is the distance between the pupils in your eyes and will always be the same regardless of what size glasses frame you choose. I hope this helps!

[@carminesilverado]

I get this video thanks but what about other things like how wide is the bridge of the nose and width of the face / because of your good video here I think I will order from you again thanks for the help

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

Hi, We are glad to hear that our video helped you and you will be ordering from us again. You could also try looking at our video about Choosing the Right Size Glasses for You. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqa7oGulpcupfas

[@ahmedcarab3423]

thanks how to measure pd

[@Novur]

Using a mirror to measure your PD isn't difficult. You just halve the distances. Instead of thinking of the mirror itself as the focal point, think of the reflection as another person and position that person the correct distance away.

[@patriciapatricia6625]

SO IDOLS

[@Duryodhana1983]

(from last comment) ...but the scales used in the article stops at 80mm. Does anybody know of cases like my own? I am totally out of scale and I would like to know more about this extreme cases. Any information will be appreciated. Thank you.

[@tilliesmith2378]

I need to print pd ruler

[@SelectSpecsOfficial]

We would not advise printing out a PD ruler as we cannot guarantee that the image will be printed at the correct size. Instead, you can either use a standard rule using the method shown in this video at 02:52, or you can purchase a pd rule from our website for as little as £1, here: bit.ly/2TmWEf0 I hope this helps you out!

[@rajibkhan1829]

Tnq

[@lexbeltran1354]

I just use an ordinary ruler😅😅😅

[@eox555]

The way it should be is that the one who fits your frame measures your P.D. and your segment high. That is why this companies have trouble. The frame needs to be tested on the patient's face. Anything else is less than the standard of care.

[@alittlewheiser521]

I love it when cheap people complain about their bifocals and progressives. If it isn't measured with the frame on your face and the bridge isn't a good fit your glasses are worthless. You really do get what you pay for and guessing your bifocal height doesn't work.

[@RobinHood5045]

How do you manage to get a PD reading from an old pair Glasses? Thanks.

[@RobinHood5045]

SelectSpecs Thank you.

[@alittlewheiser521]

From a lensometer.

[@glassestalk246]

Hello everybody ❤️

[@xzlatofy]

i can't believe that he's serious about this

[@jacobcox4276]

This is hilarious. Have fun trying not to move your eyes to get the exact PD needed for glasses. Have fun accidentally making yourself cross-eyed.

[@jacobcox4276]

I'm not an optician.

[@emilyme05]

+181Burnout haha!!

[@rajnishkaste6056]

नJ

[@jamessmith99731]

chicken

[@RedFoxRoaming]

Fucking complicated and innacurate

[@rawone2819]

อาชีพนี้ไม่ใช่ของคนใดคนหนึ่งเป็นของสาธารณะ

[@stickshiftstarship]

Opticians go to school to learn to measure PDs, its not really something you can learn from a video.

[@LanNguyen-zc6bb]

Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$