Have you ever really looked into doll eyes?
If you want to change your doll’s eyes, how should you go about it?
Thanks to Mishka for writing this article about the different types and sizes of doll eyes.
https://www.coeros.com/sex-doll-eyes-for-tpe-and-silicone-sex-doll-heads/We hope it helps you understand doll eyes a bit better!
And feel free to share your own tips for swapping out doll eyes in the comments!
OverviewToday we take a look at various eyes that come with doll heads. We will look at Silicone as well as TPE heads and see the difference between what manufacturers use. Also what type of eyes are used for ⅓ and ½ scale dolls as well.. Measurements will also be provided as references.
Eyes most Commonly used in Dolls:
Shown above are an assortment of doll eyes found in most of today’s products. Starting from A and moving on to F (shown in above picture) are eyes with the following measurements.
A 37mm Cartridge push to turn, (Doll4Ever, Anime Dolls heads)
B 26mm Small ½ round found in various TPE dolls
C 32mm Medium ½ round found in most TPE dolls (typically with cotton backing)
D 27mm Push to Turn Cassette eye, found on premium Silicone Heads (without a step adapter)
E 27mm Push to Turn Cassette eye, found on premium Silicone Heads (Includes a step adapter)
F 30mm Push to Turn Cassette eye, found on premium Silicone Heads (Zelex for example)
Rare Eyes found on ½ and ⅓ scale dolls:
A
B
On the left is a ½ scale silicone head (Zelex 130cm doll) with small push to turn eyes, and on the right is a ¾ scale (140cm) silicone doll head from JM Doll, from circa 2017. These heads are very rare and I will not focus on them in the Blog. They are inserted in hard silicone heads, and removal is not advised.
TPE Head EyeballsMost TPE barring a few exceptions use a standard 32mm Eyeball, which is often called a half round (or hemispherical) with cotton backing to enable seating and rotation. These eyes are your very basic eyes and have limited positioning and are often seated incorrectly so that they are either too far seated or too far outward in the eyeball socket. Using cotton, the factory seats these, but many if not most, are seated and positioned wrong. You notice this when looking into the doll’s eyes, and you can not adjust the angle correctly unless you reseat them yourself. The ability for the user to replace or adjust these eyes is very easy and a beginner can do this.
One thing I have noticed is that the eyes have too little cotton backing, they will look seated poorly, and not look good, as well when having too much cotton backing, they will look too far outward, and have that goldfish eye look. These eyes can be replaced with aftermarket eyes that were designed with spacer kits to have better adjustment.
In the picture below, is shown a better quality ½ round eyeball with veins painted on. I have a few of these and are rather rare. Almost all standard TPE heads use 26mm OD X 15mm deep eyeballs. The one below is a 26mm OD X 15mm deep, and is found on both TPE and Silicone heads.
A high quality ½ round eyeball with painted veins!
Silicone Head EyeballsSilicone heads often come at a higher price than TPE heads, and most come with upgraded eyes. Some Silicone heads will be found using ½ round eyes and in a few rare cases, non turning eyes. This is rare, but I have a few examples, and it’s very good advice to always ask for upgraded eyes when ordering a doll. Never assume you will get better quality eyes. The typical silicone eyes are push to turn, and some come in various sizes. A few anime dolls use larger versions of the standard 27mm OD eyeballs qnd can be as large as 37mm OD. The typical sizes I have seen are 27 -31mm OD. The main issue I have seen is the heads in Silicone have no standard – meaning, any silicone head can have many possible eyeball sizes and some even have square steps (the square part behind the eyeballs) to give better eyeball seating, and a few heads do not. To make it worse, I have seen some name brand silicone heads use non turning eyeballs and some use the TPE versions of eyeballs in their heads. It’s probably a cost cutting measure, but in my opinion, there should be a standard like most TPE heads have. Another issue is silicone heads unlike TPE heads come in various hardness (Shore Ratings), with some heads being super soft, and others rock hard. The argument is that details look better on the hard heads (and hair can be implanted), but in my experience – them being more realistic depends on the artist who does the make-up. Hard heads can have longer shelf life with better and more durable make-up, but their eyes are very difficult to remove without risk. The softer heads often have ROS features, and look just as nice when done right.
Small Scale Silicone HeadsHave you ever wondered about what SmallDoll™ uses for eyeballs – how about smaller ⅓ scale dolls? – Well there’s absolutely no standard there, and almost all ⅓ and ½ scale dolls (and BJD) have many different eyes. Some SmartDolls use small 7mm, others use 11mm eyeballs. The use of ½ round or full round eyeball depends on the head you get. Aftermarket eyes for the ½ scale BJD’s (Photo bottom left) are common and found on resellers on ETSY and AliExpress frequently. The same exists for 130cm and smaller dolls with proportional(or scaled down) sizes. Their heads are tiny by most standards. (Photo bottom right)
SmartDoll™ custom ½ round eyes
Zelex 130cm Scaled down head
SuggestionsWhen ordering a silicone head (and TPE), make sure to ask what sort of eyes are offered for that head. It’s true that for WM for example, one head will have push to turn eyes, and another will not, and may have the older style ½ round cotton backed eyeballs. Remember, there’s no standard, and you need to be vigilant and ask questions. Always try to get the soft heads with the best eyeballs you can order. If you want to do photos and make the doll head look the best, I would recommend a custom make-up option, where you provide a photo of the make-up or style you want and then order the better eyes. This way, you won’t get a head pulled from the shelf from 100 similar others. I have found when ordering, try to get a custom make-up to assure better quality. Remember, the factory does not do QC on the heads when you want a standard head. They also will not match skin color and the heads may have minimal make-up as found on common mass-produced factory heads. Remember they want to minimize costs by mass-producing these dolls. If you want to the best, get a head with custom details and also the same applied to the doll body. The more time the factory spends on your doll the more likely they will catch issues and correct before they ship out.
Mishka’s custom Eyes
Quality Push to turn Eyes
½ Round TPE Eyes
Push 2 Turn Silicone Head Eyes
Larger Silicone Eyes
Push 2 Turn, with a square step seating adapter
About the AuthorThis article was written by Mishka on September 24, 2025. Below is a personal introduction about Mishka:
I am a photographer with a deep-rooted passion for capturing dolls since 2014. Initially drawn to TPE dolls, I later switched my focus to posing them for photos, using a Nikon D300 before upgrading to a Sony a7RIV. Over the past decade, I have had the privilege of photographing dolls for various companies and watched the industry evolve with better improvements each year. I saw this as an opportunity to invest in more lifelike dolls, appreciating their improved detail and realism. For the last five years I have been traveling extensively across the US, in my camper van loaded with dolls which I photographed at various roadside locations. Currently, I have about a dozen dolls posed around my house and often host larger doll meets, fostering friendships within this unique hobby. My experiences traveling and photographing these dolls have led to unique connections with others who share the similar interests, forming a tight-knit community in this niche hobby.
