Context: Measurements of the orbit are part of the studies in craniometry. Aims: The present study reports 3 parameters of the orbit; height, breadth and orbital index. Settings and Design: Department of Anatomy, International Medical School, Bangalore. Material & Method: The measurements were taken for the right and the left orbital margins of the 51 male and 21 female skulls. Statistical analysis: ‘t’ test. Results: The measurements of the orbit (height/ width/index) (Right: height 3.509 +/- 0.267, width 4.174 +/- 0.215, orbital index 73.55 +/- 12.89) (Left: height 3.37 +/- 0.257, width 4.082=/- 0.198, orbital index 75.273 +/- 11.132), were increased for the male. The right side measurements for the height and width were increased for both the sexes and the right orbital index for the female skulls. Significance was observed for the orbital index between the male and the female skulls for the right and the left orbits and the orbital index of the female skull between its right and left orbits. The application of the demarcation points have identified that the transverse diameters of the left and the right orbits identified 15 to 22 male skulls. Hence, the transverse diameters of the orbit could be considered as a parameter in sex determination of the skulls. Conclusion: The observed differences in the orbital measurements may be because of the sample size and the methodology and also the cardinal features pertaining to the skulls: subjective sex determination, age, racial and geological variations and asymmetry especially in the facial cranium.  

Keywords: Male and female skulls; Orbital measurements; Height; Width; Index.