Use case · ANSUR survey · Updated October 2, 2026
What is the average pupillary distance?
Direct answer
The mean adult distance PD in the ANSUR survey is 63.4 mm — 62.3 mm for women and 64.7 mm for men. About 90% of those adults fall between 57 and 70 mm. The surveyed range was 52–78 mm.
Percentiles from the same survey
| Group | 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Womenn = 2,205 | 56.4 | 59.9 | 62.3 | 64.7 | 68.2 |
| Menn = 1,771 | 58.6 | 62.2 | 64.7 | 67.2 | 70.8 |
| All adultsn = 3,976 | 57.1 | 60.8 | 63.4 | 65.9 | 69.7 |
1988 US Army anthropometric survey, as reported by Dodgson (2004). Means assume a normal distribution with the published standard deviations. These are distance PDs, not near PDs.
Common measurements
- 63 mm is the overall average, about the 46th percentile.
- 64 mm is about the 68th percentile for women and the 43th for men.
- 66 mm is about the 85th percentile for women and the 64th for men.
- 70 mm is about the 96th percentile of all adults, still inside the surveyed maximum of 78 mm.
Limits
- ANSUR measured US Army adults. It is not a chart for children. A total PD under 50 mm is common in children and unusual in adults.
- Height is not a reliable way to guess PD. The survey does not publish PD by stature.
- Order a measured PD. The average will not centre the lenses on your pupils.
Use the calculator
Turn a distance PD into a reading PD: how to calculate near PD. Check a measurement in the PD calculator.