With our large selection of Readers in many beautiful colours and shapes, it has never been easier to buy reading glasses online. But how do you make sure that the frames fit?
We have made this indicative guide for you, which can hopefully help you find the right frame size.
These 5 points serve as a checklist for what to look out for when buying reading glasses:
- The top edge of the reading glasses should not sit above your eyebrows.
- Your pupils should be approximately in the centre of the lens.
- The reading glasses should not lean on your cheeks.
- The reading glasses should not slide down on the tip of the nose.
- The width of the reading glasses at the temples should match the width of your face.
How to find the frame size of your glasses
An easy way to find out what frame size you are using is to look at your current glasses or sunglasses. Please be aware that it may vary depending on the manufacturer, but often you can see some information about the model name and frame code on the inside of the temples. You will also find some numbers which indicate the size of your frame.
The numbers can look like this: 50 [] 18 - 140.
These 3 numbers show you the size in millimetres of your glasses:
50: This describes the diameter of the lenses, i.e. the width of the glass.
18: This describes the width of the nose piece, i.e. the distance between the glasses measured across your nose.
140: This describes the length of the temples. There are usually 3 standard lengths - 135, 140 or 145.
If you add the diameter of the lenses with the width of the nose piece (50+18) you get 68. You can for example also wear glasses with the size 48 [] 20 – 140, which together also adds up to 68 (48+20=68). The number 68 describes the size of the glasses and this number is important to calculate when you need to find your frame size. If your glasses fit well and comfortably, you can compare the frame size of your current glasses to find the right pair of Readers on our webshop.
However, if you do not own a pair of glasses or sunglasses with a size description, you can always take a look in our Readers Style Guide, where you can read more about which pair of our reading glasses we believe will suit you and your face size. Our temples are made with a spring hinge, which makes the frame adapt to the head size, so they are comfortable to wear whether you have a small, medium or wide head.
What is pupillary distance, and is it important for my choice of glasses?
The pupillary distance (PD) is the distance measured between the pupils of the eyes, and indicates the optical centre of your eyes, to make sure your correction is right in front of your pupils. In other words, your PD is used to determine where you look through the lenses of your glasses to ensure that you are getting the clearest vision possible with your glasses. The average PD for an adult is usually 62 mm.
What is the difference between PD and CD?
PD is the pupillary distance = the distance between your pupils measured in millimetres.
CD is the centre distance = the distance between the centre of the lenses measured in millimetres.
PD and CD should be as close to each other as possible.
- At lower powers such as +1 the PD/CD can vary by 5-7 mm.
- At higher powers such as +3 the PD/CD may only vary by 2-4 mm.
All our Readers are designed with a CD of 62 mm. With reading glasses, the PD/CD can vary (as described above) by a few millimetres depending on which power you use. This means that you can easily use our reading glasses without problems if you have a PD between 55-69 mm. It can be difficult to know your exact PD, unless you perhaps already know your PD measurement from a previous visit to your optician. If you experience headaches when wearing reading glasses, it is always a good idea to have your PD measured by an optician to ensure that your reading glasses fit you.
