LOOKSMETER · GUIDE
Canthal tilt test, explained
Drawing a straight line across a crooked selfie tells you your camera angle, not your eye structure. Here is how canthal tilt is measured properly against the interpupillary axis - and how it fits into the five-marker eye area score.
Positive, neutral, and negative tilt in degrees
Canthal tilt is the angle formed between the inner corner (medial canthus) and outer corner (lateral canthus) of the eye relative to the horizontal line across both pupils:
Positive Canthal Tilt (+3° to +8°)
The outer corner sits noticeably above the inner corner, creating a compact, upward-angled palpebral fissure associated with 'hunter' or feline eye shapes.
Neutral Canthal Tilt (-1° to +2°)
Inner and outer corners sit on nearly the same horizontal plane. Common across most faces and reads balanced when paired with good under-eye support and a clean brow frame.
Negative Canthal Tilt (Below -1°)
The outer corner sits lower than the inner corner, which can create a softer or more tired resting expression if combined with lateral brow droop or upper-lid exposure.
Why canthal tilt must be read alongside 4 other eye markers
Focusing on a single degree number misses the surrounding frame. An eye with +1° neutral tilt, low upper-eyelid exposure, a low-set straight brow, and firm infraorbital support will outrate a +5° tilted eye with hollow tear troughs and high upper-lid show every time.
That is why our test measures your exact canthal tilt angle via a 468-point facial landmark mesh while scoring all five eye-area markers together.
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Frequently asked
How is canthal tilt measured on a photo?
A line is drawn from the medial canthus (inner corner of the eye near the tear duct) to the lateral canthus (outer corner of the eye), and its angle is measured relative to the true interpupillary horizontal axis. If the outer corner sits higher than the inner corner, the angle is positive (+3° to +8° is common for positive tilt) - if level, neutral (0° to +2°) - if lower, negative.
Why do DIY line-drawing apps get canthal tilt wrong?
Because they measure against the edges of the photo frame instead of correcting for head roll. If your head is tilted 3 degrees to the left when you snap a selfie, one eye will falsely read +6° and the other will read 0°. An accurate test normalizes the angle against the axis connecting both eyes and averages left and right.
What is a 'good' canthal tilt angle?
A neutral-to-moderately-positive tilt (+2° to +6°) generally reads alert and structurally supported. However, canthal tilt is only one of five eye-area markers: upper-eyelid exposure, brow-to-eye distance, under-eye orbital support, and scleral show matter just as much for the overall impression.
Can squinting or grooming change how my canthal tilt looks?
The bone attachment of the lateral canthal tendon doesn't move without surgery, but the visual line of the eye area shifts noticeably with brow tail grooming (cleaning stray hairs underneath the outer brow lifts the frame) and neutral lower-lid tone.
Keep reading
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What is my eye shape?
The four checks - crease, lid, corners, spacing - that place you among the six shapes, and why most people are a blend of two.
LinkedIn headshot tips, honestly
What a recruiter-ready profile picture gets right - crop, light, expression, background, attire - with a phone, no photographer.
This page is general information about facial aesthetics terminology, not medical or cosmetic advice. Scores from our tools are AI-generated estimates for entertainment and self-reflection.