Did you know that having glasses that fit properly is just as important to your eye health as eating nutritious foods? The less you have to strain while wearing your glasses, the more opportunity you have to maintain healthy eyes and face less risk of worsening vision.
But how can you go about getting your eyeglasses measurements? How do you know the glasses on your face are the best ones for you? Luckily, we're here to help you learn more.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about getting the perfect fit.
Things to Consider With Eyeglass Measurements
There are different things to consider when it comes time to measure your face for glasses — like the different features on your face. Here is how your glasses should fit each of your features.
Eyes
Your frames should line up horizontally with the center of your eyes, with the frame reaching no higher than your eyebrows. To ensure you're getting this measurement right, knowing your pupillary distance (PD) is key.
Your PD is the distance between the center of each pupil when you look straight ahead. The center of each pupil should be in the optical center of each lens.
Cheeks
If your glasses rest on your face when you smile, they probably don't fit properly. They should, instead, stay level on your face.
Nose
To fit your nose properly, your glasses should rest on the bridge without slipping or leaving red marks on your nose.
They should feel like they're balanced and equally distributed across the bridge of your nose, and you definitely shouldn't feel like you have to fuss with them.
Side of Your Head
Your glasses should fit around your temples without pinching or feel uncomfortable. Instead, they should feel secure around your head and over your ears.
If the width of your glasses is good for your face, then they're not going to move when you look down or shake your head.
Get the Right Fit
There are different things you can do to ensure you're getting the right fit with your glasses, the easiest being to check with your optician. Without those numbers, it's almost impossible to know which frame size you're going to need.
You can also find the measurements on the inside of your glasses, usually stamped above the temple or bridge. You'll see three numbers separated by hyphens or dashes, specified by millimeters.
What Are Your Measurements?
Once you find those numbers, you may or may not know what they stand for. Millimeters are small, but they matter more than you might think. Each number stands for lens width, bridge width, and temple length.
Your lens width is the horizontal width of each lens at its widest point. Typically, these numbers range from 40mm to 60mm. The bridge width is simply the distance between your two lenses or the length of the bar between them.
Small bridge glasses range from 14mm to 16mm, medium bridge ones range from 17mm to 19mm, and large bridge widths range from 20mm to 23mm.
Finally, your temple length simply refers to the length of each arm on your glasses. Typically, they're going to be stated as 135mm, 140mm, 145mm, or 150mm.
What Glasses Should You Get?
While determining your face shape can help you decide on the best frame shape for you, it's also important to remember that your personal preference has a huge say in what you choose.
If you like the way a certain frame looks on you, then don't worry about how your face shape is supposed to look in it. While this can be a great guide, the biggest thing to remember is that if you feel confident, then they're already the perfect glasses for you.
Common Fit Problems
If you feel like your glasses might not fit, or you're facing any of the issues we're about to cover, it might be time for new frames.
If they keep sliding down your face, that could point to them being too narrow. A wider frame would help this problem out. On the other end, if they dig behind your ears or pinch your head, that could point to them not hugging your ears the way they need to.
If they're leaving red marks on the bridge of your nose, that could point to them being too tight. It could also mean your frames are bent or crooked, but in some instances, the fit might not be the issue at all. If you're sure you're wearing the right fit, then nose pads could help out.
If they feel crooked all the time, you should turn to your eyebrows first. Some people have crooked eyebrows, meaning it's best to look from the bottom of your eyes for straightness, not above. If your ears don't line up, that could also be the issue here.
Find the Best Frames for Your Face
When you know your eyeglass measurements, you give yourself the chance to have the best fitting eyeglasses possible. You lose the frustration of constantly fidgeting with your frames and you gain the confidence of knowing you're caring for yourself and your eye health.
Not only is this only going to help you maintain your eye health, but it's also going to help you be the best version of yourself you can be.
If you're ready to get started with finding your perfect eyewear match, shop our frame and lens options today.
