Canthal tilt
Canthal tilt is the angle of the line from the inner corner of your eye to the outer corner, compared with a level line. If the outer corner sits higher, the tilt is positive. If it sits lower, it is negative. You can measure it from one straight photo.
How to tell in a mirror
- Take a photo straight on, at eye height, with your head level and a relaxed face. Do not smile, it lifts the outer corners.
- Find the inner corner of one eye, where the lids meet next to the nose, and the outer corner, where they meet at the side.
- Draw a line through both corners, then a level line through the inner corner.
- If the outer end of your line sits above the level line, the tilt is positive. On the line, neutral. Below it, negative.
- Do both eyes. Small differences between left and right are normal.
Positive, neutral and negative tilt
A positive canthal tilt means the outer corner is higher than the inner corner, which gives an upturned, lifted look. Neutral means the two corners are level. Negative means the outer corner is lower, which gives a downturned, softer look. Surgical textbooks describe the outer corner as usually sitting a little higher than the inner one in adults, so a slight positive tilt is common.
How to measure it in degrees
On a level photo, measure how far the outer corner sits above or below the inner corner, and how far apart they are side to side, in the same units. The angle is the arctangent of height divided by width. For example, a corner 2 mm higher across a 30 mm wide eye gives about 4 degrees positive. A protractor app on the photo gives the same answer. Head tilt is the biggest source of error, so check that both pupils sit on one level line first.
What changes canthal tilt
Tilt comes from the bone of the eye socket and the tendons that hold the eyelid corners, so it is mostly inherited. It often drops a little with age as the tissue around the outer corner loosens. Surgery such as canthoplasty changes it, with real risks. Taping, exercises and pressing on the face do not change the bone or the tendons.
Canthal tilt and attractiveness
A positive tilt is popular in online looks forums, where it is part of the hunter eyes idea. In real life, attractiveness depends on the whole face, and many people with neutral or negative tilt are considered very attractive. Tilt is a description, not a score.
Canthal tilt and eye shape
Tilt is one of three independent measures of eye shape, next to form (almond or round) and spacing (wide-set or close-set). That is why an eye can be almond and downturned, or round and upturned. The eye shape test reads all three from one photo.
Want a measured answer instead of a mirror check? The eye shape test reads form, tilt and spacing from one photo. All six shapes are compared in the guide to the different eye shapes.
Questions people ask
What is canthal tilt?
Canthal tilt is the angle between the inner and outer corner of the eye, compared with a level line. Positive means the outer corner is higher, negative means it is lower.
How do I check my canthal tilt?
Take a straight, level photo with a relaxed face and draw a line through the inner and outer corner of one eye. If it rises towards the outside, your tilt is positive. If it falls, it is negative.
What is a positive canthal tilt?
A positive canthal tilt means the outer corner of the eye sits higher than the inner corner. It gives an upturned look.
What is a negative canthal tilt?
A negative canthal tilt means the outer corner sits lower than the inner corner. It gives a downturned look and often becomes a little stronger with age.
What is a normal canthal tilt?
A slight positive tilt is common in adults, and level is common too. There is no single correct angle, and left and right eyes often differ a little.
Can you change your canthal tilt?
Only surgery changes the bone and tendons that set it. Makeup can change how it looks: liner and shadow lifted at the outer corner make the eye read as more upturned.
Is there a canthal tilt test online?
Yes. The Eye Shape AI scanner finds the corners of both eyes in one photo and reports whether your eyes are upturned or downturned, together with form and spacing.
Related guides
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