by Brian Adam, New Zealand. October 2001 www.adam.co.nz

How do you measure your face in order to order custom eyeglasses that will fit well? Of course, nothing is as good as choosing a frame, with help from a non-invasive professional, from a wide range of frames in a store. However I wonder is the range available so wide and varied in reality? Many people say to me that the range of options in the optical stores is not so great any more.
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I make custom frames for customers, many of them over the internet. When I start work on a custom frame for someone miles away from me, I ask them to help me draw up some precise guidelines. I then use my 2D CAD application and get the measurements of a few simple things, and we exchange emails with images/ attached until we arrive at a satisfactory design.
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Then I make some sample in thin sheet that are variations of the chosen design, getting details like fit on the nose, placement of pad arms, etc and airmail the samples to the customer to choose the best version. This can take some time, but it has been a very successful way for both me and my customer to check a frame design, choose a frame size, and have a say in the precise design of the eueglasses.
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Here's a series of drawings showing a way to build up a frame design that suits you and fits you. Start with some lines:

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1. Draw the 'eyeline'. This will be the horizontal line between your pupils.

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2. Mark where your pupils sit on this horizontal eyeline. This is your Pupillary Distance. Mine is shown on my prescription as 'PD 64' (millimeters).

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3. Estimate a gap between the lenses for your nose. You probably know how much distance you want here - use some calipers or a compass, or measure some existing eyeglasses that are already a good fit, or measure some existing eyeglasses that are a bad fit and estimate what's needed to make a better fit.

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4. Eyeline to bridge. Note where the eyeline is in relation to the frame at the top of the nose gap (the bridge). This is a good way to get the new frame to look like it was designed for your face.

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5. Nosepad placement. Find the place on your nose where the nosepads feel really comfortable. Usually we're all fussy about where the pads go. So estimate the distance of this from the bridge. Doing nosepad placement well is a way to get the new frame to fit really well. As Edith Wharton said, 'placement is everything'.

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6. The design of the lens shape. First, think about where you want your pupils to be in relation to the lenses. Dead centre? Up from the centre? Here I've put the centre of the lenses (in red) a little bit below the centre of the pupils. Gives a certain look. Take a look on another frame you own - really look and notice where your pupils are. Second, think about shapes... go for it! But be aware of the overall width:

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7. Overall width. Establish how wide you want the frames.
You're not limited to these disc shapes in my example drawing. We can design something else for you.

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Here's my own hand-crafted eyeglass frames shown with the computer drawing.
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Comment from a recent customer for a sterling silver eyeglass frame: "The glasses are wonderful! I love them. Many people have commented on them. When do we start on the gold pair?" And another for a 14k gold frame: "They needed some small adjustment to the nosepads (I had on my contacts when I collected them) but apart from that they look good, feel good, my wife likes them, my 15 month old son stared at them, my six year old daughter likes them. It seems fair to say that you have handcrafted a complete success!"