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Harmony · Side view · Facial Profile

Orbital Vector

The horizontal position of the lower orbital reference relative to the front of the eye.

What is measured

The calculation

(Orbitale x − corneal-apex x) × photo scale, in an oriented side image

Side view / Measurement guide

Orbital Vector: side-view measurement illustrationAn original schematic showing A: Corneal vertical reference; B: Horizontal orbital offset. Lines identify the landmarks used; the drawing is not to scale.AB

Follow the measurement

Select a label to focus on its line. Select again to show all measurements.

Schematic illustration, not to scale. Lines show the measurement construction; this is not an ideal face or a scored result.

In these guides, nasion means the nasal root, subnasale the nose base, and pogonion the most forward chin point. Frankfort refers to the direction from the ear-opening landmark to the lower orbital landmark.

Why it matters

This describes the eye’s relationship to the contour below it. A forward lower-orbital reference and a forward eyeball can produce different under-eye profiles even with similar eyelid shape.

  • Negative: the orbital reference lies behind the corneal apex.
  • Positive: it lies in front of the corneal apex.

Where the idea comes from

FaceIQ adaptation

This is a FaceIQ photographic construction. Clinical profile analysis provides context, but the cited work does not validate this exact landmark formula or its scoring range. [1]

A worked example

If the orbital reference is 5 units behind the eye at 0.2 estimated mm per unit, the result is −1 mm.

Example values explain the calculation. They are not a target range and are not measurements of the schematic above.

Research & further reading

The sources below explain the history or related evidence. FaceIQ’s score weights and reference ranges are model settings; these papers do not collectively validate the scoring system.

  1. [1] Farkas et al. · 2005

    International anthropometric study of facial morphology in various ethnic groups/races

    Documents variation in facial dimensions across sampled populations. Descriptive measurements explain variation; they do not establish an attractiveness score.

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