Technology can be a beautiful thing, and that is indeed the case when using Warby
Parker’s pupillary distance measurement tool. All you need is a card with a magnetic strip (credit, debit,
gift, library card, etc.) and a
webcam. Since most, if not all computers on the market come with a webcam, this shouldn’t be an issue for most.
We found their PD tool to be very
accurate but still ran through it a few times to get a more precise PD measurement. The best part? You can use this tool to determine your PD whether you buy your next glasses
from Warby Parker or not!
We know not everyone may have access to a millimeter ruler or a printer, especially if you aren’t home. Because of this, we have created a simple way to use your smartphone as a PD ruler.
- To start, open our guide on how to measure your
pupillary distance with your smartphone.
- Once you have the smartphone document
open, use the credit card outline or the
penny outline to scale your ruler correctly. Just get either guide within view on your screen and lay the appropriate object (credit card or penny) on the
screen to scale the page.
- Once you have the scaling dialed in you can proceed
to measure your PD with a
mirror as outlined in the steps below (option #3) or on the guide.
Assuming you scale the ruler correctly, this method should be just as accurate as using an actual ruler.
If you think you may benefit from a dual
PD measurement, you can repeat the steps above only this time using our dual PD ruler.
Our dual PD ruler allows you to center it down the middle of your nose making it easy to measure the specific pupillary distances for both your left and right
pupils. The process is nearly identical to measuring for a single PD, and you can follow the 5 simple steps on our guide to help you get started!
Many online retailers can create lenses with dual PD’s and doing so will provide a better fit and optics for you!
If all else fails, you can use your old or current glasses to measure your pupillary distance. This will likely be the least accurate solution, but you should be able to get a reasonably precise
read. Follow these easy steps below:
- With your glasses on, stand 8-10 inches away from a
mirror.
- While staring straight ahead, take
a non-permanent
marker to mark the center of your pupils on your glasses. Try using a highlighter, dry erase, or washable marker. Be sure to keep Sharpies or anything permanent far away from your
lenses!
- Remove your glasses and measure the distance between
the dots to get your PD measurement.
- Again, this method will be the least accurate of the
bunch, but you can gain more accuracy if you have someone else make the marks on your lenses for you. Again, recommended markers to use are dry erase, highlighters,
or and washable marker.
Okay, this isn’t really a way to measure your PD at home, but you should be able to accomplish this with a simple phone call. Measuring your pupillary distance is a standard part of any eye exam.
If you have been to an optician in the past and ordered glasses through them, they have your PD measurement on file. Just call their office, request your PD and be on your way!
Sounds simple right? Unfortunately, this simple task can be challenging for some people to accomplish depending on how their opticians or eye doctors feel about ordering glasses online. Many
people have even had their opticians all but refuse to hand over their PD!
Thankfully, the law is on your side in most states. The Federal Trade Commission highly recommends opticians to provide their patients with their PD measurement hassle free. In some
states, the law requires that they must! They must also provide you with your prescription upon request free of any fees outside of the initial exam.