The Orbital Oval Balance Principle: A Morphometric Clinical Analysis

Area of Science:

• Facial aesthetics
• Perception psychology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• The orbital oval balance principle guides aesthetic design of eyebrows for optimal facial appearance.
• This principle suggests faces are most attractive when the eye is centered within an oval formed by the lid-cheek junction and eyebrow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the "orbital oval balance principle" in aesthetic facial analysis.
• To determine the impact of periorbital proportions on perceived facial attractiveness and emotional expression.

Main Methods:

• 100 participants ranked morphed images of female models with varied lid-cheek junction and eyebrow positions.
• Participants quantified emotional perceptions (e.g., tiredness, sadness) from these images.

Main Results:

• Higher lid-cheek junctions were rated more attractive with lower eyebrows, and vice versa.
• A higher lid-cheek junction was generally preferred and improved perception of emotions like tiredness and sadness.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the orbital oval balance principle for facial attractiveness.
• A higher lid-cheek junction is perceived as more youthful, attractive, and can mitigate signs of tiredness and sadness.