Printable PD Ruler
Print this page at 100% / Actual size (turn off "fit to page"), or choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep a copy. Cut along the ruler and measure at a mirror. Lay a bank card on the outline first: if the card matches, the scale is true.
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mm · facialbrief.com · CC BY 4.0
Scale check
Any bank or ID card is 85.60 × 53.98 mm. If it fits this outline edge to edge, the ruler above is printed at true size.
bank card 85.6 × 53.98 mm
How to Measure Your PD With the Ruler
- Stand about 20 cm (8 in) from a mirror in good light, face square to it.
- Hold the ruler flat against your brow, just above the eyes, numbers facing the mirror.
- Close your right eye. Line the 0 mark up with the centre of your left pupil.
- Without moving the ruler, open your right eye and close your left. Read the millimetre mark at the centre of your right pupil. That is your distance PD.
- Repeat three times and average. For near PD, subtract about 3 mm.
- A friend can do the same from in front of you while you look at a point far behind them - fixing on their eye converges yours and shortens the reading.
Adult PDs run roughly 54 to 74 mm with a mean near 63. For strong prescriptions or progressives, have an optician confirm the figure. This ruler is licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse it freely with a link to facialbrief.com.