How to Measure Your Face for Glasses: A Complete Guide for Asian Face Shapes

Are you shopping for glasses online? Do you like gambling with your eyes? Do you feel like your glasses are always pinching when you wear them? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are probably Filipino, and you probably have always had trouble trying to find a pair of glasses that fit. You find a frame you love, you order it, and then after two weeks, you try it on and it doesn’t fit. The bridge is too narrow, the temples pinch your head, and the glasses sit on your cheeks instead of on your nose. Typical Asian face vs glasses problems.

The good news is that most of those problems are preventable, IF you know your measurements. I’m here to guide you and walk you through exactly how to measure your face for glasses, with tips for those of us with low or really thin nose bridges and wider face shapes.

The Thee Numbers That Matter Most

Every pair of glasses has three key measurements printed on the inside of the temples. They look something like this: 52-18-145. This is what they mean”

Lens width (52mm): This is the width of the lens, LOL. From one side of the widest part of the lens to the other across a 180 line. This affects how centered your eyes are in the glasses and how much of your face the frames cover. And it only counts for one eye. The other eye is usually the same. Unless you come across some really unique shape.

Bridge width (18mm): This is the distance from the outer part of the frame closest to your nose to the other, if that makes sense. Basically, the distance between the lenses. This is SUPER important when looking at frames for your face. You wanna make sure your nose fits well within this number, or make sure you have nose pads on the frame, or built onto it to support the frame as it sits on a person with a lower bridge. Some acetate (what you will think is plastic) frames have a built in nosepad or extended Asian fit nosepad to accommodate.

Temple length (145mm): This is the length of the temple or ‘arms’ from the hinge (the part the attaches the temple to the frame front) all the way to the tip that curves behind your ear.

Why Bridge Width Is Everything

The thing most people don’t realize is that bridge width isn’t just about the space between the lenses. It determines where the frame sit on your face. Standard frames typically have bridges 14-18mm, and they’re mostly designed for higher, narrower nose bridges that are more common in Western facial structures. If you have a lower or flatter nose bridge, a narrow bridge width mean the frame will slide down until it lands on your cheeks.

For Asian fit glasses, look for bridge widths of 18mm or higher. Some frames even go up to 23mm! Think about this: The wider the bridge, combined with an extended nose pad, the better it keeps the frame elevated properly.

How to Measure Your Face at Home

You’ll need a flexible measuring tape (or a piece of string and a ruler) and a mirror. Here’s how to get each measurement:

Face Width: Measure from temple to temple - the widest part of your face, usually where your cheekbones meet your ear to the other side. This helps you determine the total frame width you need, give or take a few millimeters based on shape (more on that in a different blog post). As a general rule, frames should be about as wide as your face, not much narrower.

Nose Bridge Width: This is tricky. Super tricky. But you can do it. The easiest method, I believe, is if you have glasses that fit well, check their bridge measurement. LOL, easy right? Now the hard part, if you don’t have glasses that fit well, try this: place your index finger horizontally across the bridge of your nose where your glasses would normally sit, or how you would like them to sit. The measure the width of where you finger covers. See, most people fall between 16-18mm.

Nose Bridge Height: Look at your face from the profile side. If you don’t have one of those bathrooms that has a mirror adjacent to your bathroom mirror try taking a picture from the side. See the point between your eyes where the glasses rest? Measure from there down to where your nostrils begin. If this distance is short (under 10mm), you likely have a low bridge and need Asian fit frames with the extended nose pads.

Temple-to-Temple (Head Width): Measure around the back of the head from your eye to behind you. This determines temple length. If your head is wider, you may need temples of 145mm or longer to avoid a squeezing feeling.

The Measurements Standard Guides Miss

Most “how to measure for glasses” guides stop there. But if you have Asian facial features, there are two more factors to consider:

Cheekbone height and prominence: Higher, more prominent cheekbones (common in many Asian face shapes) mean you need frames that sit higher, or they’ll rest on your cheeks. You can prevent this by finding frames with the metal nose pads, or extended nose pads to make the glasses sit higher on your face.

Facial profile depth: A flatter facial profile means less distance between your eyes and where the lenses fit. If frames aren’t designed for this, your eyelashes will brush the inside of the lenses. Look for frames with more “pantoscopic tilt”, which basically means that the bottom of the lenses are sitting closer to the cheeks and the top part is sitting a little farther away from the eyes. That will help, unless you have high cheek bones.

Quick Reference: Asian Fit Measurements

Based on my 19+ years of experience fitting diverse faces, here are the ranges that typically work well for Asian facial features:

Bridge width: 18-23mm (vs. standard 14-18)

Nose Pads: Either built in metal adjustable nose pads, or extended nose pads on acetate frame.

Temple Length: 145-155mm depending on the head width.

When in Doubt, Try in Person

At home measurements can get you close, but nothing beats trying the frames on in person. If possible, visit an optical shop that carries Asian fit options. You can usually find asian fit eyewear within a brands filters and then search to see if they have a store nearby. OR you can hire me to help consult and style you! I’m an ABOC Certified Optician and had to go through months of training and I have lots of hands on experience with styling people. You can email me at adrian@salamineyewear or your can get in contact with me below.

Some questions to ask when visiting an optical shop: “Do you carry frames with extended nose pads? Can you add nose pads to existing frames? Do you have asian fit frames? Or universal fit? Can you adjust the nose pads for people with lower bridges like myself.

A good optician won’t just sell you frames, they’ll fit them to your aesthetic and make you feel good about yourself. I always told my clients that I never wanted them to walk out the store with a bad pair of glasses, because if someone asks you where you got them, they would tell them it was me LOL.

Salamin Eyewear in designing eyewear frames with the Filipino fit face in mind. Don’t forget to signup for our newletter.

Salamat! - Salamin