So, you have found the perfect pair of safety glasses. But when you try on those new safety glasses, something feels off. It might be something physical—pinching or slipping—but more often, when this happens, it's something less identifiable. Until you realise that while the safety glasses are genuinely as excellent as you first believed, they don't match your head size. So, let's look at how to measure yourself for perfectly fitting safety glasses.
Get Your Ruler Ready
You're going to take some basic measurements of your head. A tailor measurement tape works best, but if you don't have one of those, a standard ruler will work. Just make sure it's got millimetre markings to give you precise numbers. They'll be important when you want to match up the measurements of your head with those of safety glasses, which are usually listed in millimetres.
Temple To Temple Measurement
Using a mirror, position the ruler beneath your eyes and across your face horizontally to measure from temple to temple. The number you get will probably be somewhere between 120mm and 150mm. While gender doesn't necessarily determine a person's length from temple to temple, it's common for men to measure around 145mm and women to measure about 135mm.
Knowing the distance between a person's two temples is the primary way to determine the best frame size according to lenses. If your measurement is on the lower end, say 120mm to 130mm, you're likely to want to get safety glasses with lenses from 49mm to 54mm in width, like the Express safety glasses. Those in the middle, with temple-to-temple measurements running from 135mm to 140mm, would most likely pair well with lenses ranging in width from 55mm to 57mm, such as the Hipster or Solaire model. Professionals on the wide side of the measurement range, 146mm to 152mm from temple to temple, probably pair best with safety glasses with lens widths measuring from 58mm and higher, such as the Panton Safety Glasses.
Getting the Lens Size Right
The lenses of safety glasses traditionally run from about 40mm to 60mm. One good way of determining your perfect lens size is to compare the overall length of safety glasses to your temple-to-temple measurement. You can quickly figure out the length of the safety glasses by adding the two lenses and the bridge. So, for example, a pair of safety glasses with 54mm lenses and a 20mm bridge would be 54 + 54 + 20 = 128mm — and these safety glasses would most likely be well-sized for a person with a temple-to-temple measurement from 126mm to 130mm.
There's also a handy trick that requires no math! Place a credit card vertically at the centre of your nose. If the end of the credit card goes past your eye, you probably want smaller lenses. Larger lenses are for you if the card doesn't reach your eye's end. If the card's end goes right to your eye's end, look for lens sizes in the middle.
The Size and Position of Your Nasal Bridge
The measurement of the bridge of your nose should correlate with the bridge size of your safety glasses; this bridge size is the distance between the two lenses and an essential aspect of finding the right fit. You can eyeball this one, determining if you have a wide or narrow bridge. As a rule of thumb, you likely have a wide bridge if your eyes are farther apart and a narrow bridge if your eyes are closer together. Little noses usually fit well with safety glasses with bridges in the 14mm to 18mm range, like the Hipster model. In contrast, wider noses lend themselves to safety glasses with bridge sizes that are 18mm and up, like our Atlantis prescription safety glasses.
Take note of the position of your nasal bridge as well—a selfie of your side profile can be a big help here. You want to determine if your bridge is above or below your pupils. If it's above, you'll want to try out safety glasses with bridges measuring between 19mm and 21mm. If the bridge of your nose is below your pupils, then glasses with bridges between 16mm and 18mm are probably for you.
And after you figure out your head size, contact Safeloox, who can advise you of various frame sizes and styles that will pair perfectly with you.
If you're still unsure which pair is right for you, take our short quiz to find out!