FORMA FEATURE / EYES & ORBITEye spacing: measurements, ratios, and research
Intercanthal distance measures the gap between the inner eye corners. Interpupillary distance measures between pupil centers. They are different measurements.
How eye spacing is measured
Inner corner to inner corner = intercanthal distance. Pupil center to pupil center = IPD. Compare with one eye’s inner-to-outer corner width using a straight, level view.
Ratios, ranges & competing claims
≈ 1 eye width — The intercanthal convention
The classical fifths convention places roughly one eye width between the eyes. In 50 female models, intercanthal width was smaller than eye width and nasal width.
Clinical guide: The comparison involved female Italian models; a historical canon is not a measured male ideal. Do the neoclassical canons still describe the beauty of faces?
46% — A widely repeated eye-spacing result
Pallett and colleagues found preferred interocular spacing at about 46% of face width in their manipulated female faces.
Study: This is not the inner-corner gap. The female stimuli and specific width landmarks prevent direct use as a universal male target. New “Golden” Ratios for Facial Beauty
Practical takeaway
One eye-width is a useful first comparison.
Compare the inner-corner gap with the width of an individual eye, then check how the pair sits within the whole face.
What changes the answer
Eye aperture width, overall face width, and nasal-root width affect whether the spacing looks balanced. The intercanthal gap and pupil-to-pupil distance answer different questions.
Connected facial features
Explore the interactive atlas and compare this feature with both fixed reference views.