Facial Anthropometry of Typically Developed White British Children Applied to Spectacle Frame Design

Abstract Purpose To improve the fit of paediatric spectacle frames by proposing anthropometrical data directly related to frame parameters and to understand facial growth to inform frame design. Methods Three-dimensional stereophotogrammatic images were acquired from 480 typically developing white British children ranging in age from 4 months to 16 years. Analysis focussed on 15 head and face parameters specific to spectacle frame design. Results Facial parameters in children show the position and dimensions of the nasal bearing surface to be initially relatively low and large in comparison to adult parameters, with narrowing dimensions and a more superior position observed as the child ages. Current paediatric frame designs are often based on scaled-down adult dimensions, providing a high, narrow bridge that will typically fail to contact adequately with the younger, developing bearing surface. Rates of growth were symmetrical for the right and left sides of the face, being successively higher for temple width, pupillary distance, front to bend and head width, illustrating how face shape develops. In this growth process, the narrowing of the nasal profile in the frontal plane was more apparent than in the sagittal plane, where the angle of the nasal profile (splay angle) narrowed at a slower rate. There was no statistically significant difference in growth rates detected between sexes, except for a larger growth rate in male head width. Conclusion White British children have a relatively low, wide and flat nasal bearing surface in comparison to an adult facial form. These data show how those facial features relevant to spectacle wear alter during growth and could be applied to the design and development of spectacle frames for children. Face form in children is clearly different from that of an adult, requiring a new, evidence-based approach to spectacle frame manufacture.