How to Find Glasses for Larger Heads

People with larger heads often struggle to find glasses that provide a comfortable fit. The temple arms may squeeze the sides of their head, the nose pads may pinch their bridge. Sometimes the bottoms of the lenses rub against their cheeks, causing irritation and annoyance.

Since eyewear manufacturers tend to design frames for the most common head sizes and face shapes, people outside that range sometimes have to do extra work to find a pair of of glasses that fit correctly. Since you wear glasses every day, it’s important that they feel good. So, how can someone with a larger head find glasses that fit?

Step 1: Measure Yourself for New Glasses

You can take some simple measurements to understand what size frames you’ll need. Here’s what to measure before buying glasses for a larger fit:

1. Head Width

Chances are you probably don’t know how wide your head is—it’s not exactly the kind of thing that’s brought up in polite conversation. However, this measurement is critical to finding glasses that will fit a larger head. Do you have an old pair of comfortable glasses lying around? Measure the distance from temple-to-temple in order to get this number. If you don’t have glasses available, perform the same measurement on your face. A measurement greater than 5.5” means you should be shopping for large or wide-frame glasses.

2. Lens Width

As you might expect, this number is simply the horizontal distance between either edge of the lens. Similar to the first step, the easiest way to find this measurement is by looking at an old pair of glasses that fit comfortably. One of the temple arms will have three numbers printed on it, like “49 21 145”. The first number is the lens width in millimeters. In general, glasses that fit the width of your head should have lenses that are correct for your head shape.

3. Temple Length

Temple arms that are too short will result in a tight fit, while temple arms that are too long will result in glasses that slide off your face. So how can you find your temple length? The third number printed on the arm will give the measurement in millimeters. In a pinch (no pun intended) you can use a ruler or tape measure to get the rough distance between the front of your face and the back of your ear.

4. Bridge Distance

The bridge distance is the space between the inside of one lens and the other. This is an extremely important number to get right, because the wrong size bridge can turn your cool new glasses into an uncomfortable nuisance. A small bridge will pinch your nose and cause your glasses to sit too high on your face, while an oversized bridge will allow the frames to slide down your nose. Once again, the easiest way to get this measurement is by consulting a pair of your old glasses (in this case, the bridge distance is the second number). If you don’t have glasses handy, an estimate will at least let you know which glasses to consider. Take something flexible, such as a twist tie, and bend it across the top of your nose. Remove it and use a ruler or tape measure to get the distance between the sections where the pads or bridge will sit.

If you don’t have a pair of old glasses to consult, we recommend that you schedule an appointment with your eye doctor so they can take accurate measurements. We can help you find an optometrist in your neighborhood.

Once you have your measurements in hand, the fun can begin. 

Step 2: Shop for the Right Large Frames

There are a lot of eyeglasses out there, but not all of them are available in large sizes. As a person with a larger head, you’ll want to pay close attention to the sizes in stock when browsing eyewear. Eyeconic® makes this especially easy with our dropdown size menu.

Not a good choice:



A much better fit:



Some brands, such as Nine West, cater to people with larger-than-usual heads. The point is that there are plenty of eyewear options out there.

Make sure to check out our full assortment of glasses for people with larger heads, and for an overview of all your options.

Step 3: Try Them On

A good fit is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters when buying new glasses.  You’ll want to see how your wide frames will look on your face. Our Virtual Try-On tool makes it easy to preview many frames in the comfort of your own chair—it can even swap out your old glasses with your new ones in real time! All it takes to get started is a few minutes and a webcam..

Step 4: Get a Glasses Adjustment

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