Smart Tips To Adjust Glasses: Ensuring the Perfect Fit
July 3, 2024 • 4:14 PM
Eyewear slippage is a real thing that will test the patience of even the best of us. Problematic eyewear is uncomfortable and can even lead to headaches and vision issues. If the source of the improper fit isn’t corrected, you might even break your glasses — a mistake that could cost you an out-of-pocket expense if your vision care benefits have already been exhausted.
There’s good news, though. Making sure your eyewear fits properly might be as simple as making a few adjustments at home. With a few tools you can find in an eyeglass repair kit, you can ensure your eyewear fits, feels comfortable, and never pinches or slips.
The professionals at Pair have three tips for getting the perfect fit and a few at-home hacks for adjusting your glasses easily and quickly.
How To Make Sure Your Glasses Fit
You love your cat-eye frames, but if they aren’t properly fitted to your face, they definitely won’t feel as chic as they look.
Getting a proper fit can be tricky unless you’re an optician or have your eyewear fitted in person. When buying eyewear online, you might need a few pointers to know whether or not the eyewear you’re buying will fit correctly.
Here are three ways to tell if you’ve got an eyewear match made in heaven.
1. Use the Fit Triangle
Your eyewear should only touch your face/head in three specific spots.
First, the bridge of your nose. Second (and third) behind each of your ears. Stylistically speaking, some frames are designed to make more contact with your face, but those contact points should be aesthetic and not designed to keep your glasses in place.
These three points of contact are referred to as the fit triangle, a basic fit test used by opticians to determine whether a wearer’s eyeglasses will be comfortable.
2. Measurements
If you’re a metrics person, you’re looking for data. You want the exact distance each lens should be from your eye, the width of the frames that will be most comfortable, and the distance between each lens. We like measurements, too, but here’s where it becomes a bit more complicated.
Frames are generally available in standard sizes. Inside the arms of your eyewear, you will likely see the measurements of the lens, bridge, and temple.
These measurements tell you:
- The exact width of one lens
- The length of the bridge (the distance between the two lenses where they are closest together)
- The length of each arm from the hinge where it meets the lens to the tip that fits behind your year
These measurements are key because they determine whether your eyewear is too loose and slips down your nose or is too tight and creates pressure on your temples.
3. Feel
The acid test of whether or not any eyewear fits properly is whether or not they are comfortable for the wearer.
Perfect-fitting glasses should (ideally) be forgotten as quickly as you put them on. In other words, they’re so comfortable you aren’t consciously thinking about the fact you’re wearing them.
You can easily tell if your eyewear doesn’t feel quite right. If they squeeze your head, giving you the urge to remove them, they may be too small. If they slip down your nose and you find yourself pushing them up repeatedly, they are likely too big. And if you’re questioning whether your eyes are crooked, don’t worry: it’s probably your glasses.
With these tips, you can determine if your pair of glasses fits correctly or if you need to make a few adjustments. If your new glasses need a tune-up, we’ve got a few easy fixes to ensure a comfortable fit.
How To Adjust Your Glasses at Home
If you need to adjust your glasses, you may not need to see an eye care professional to get the job done. In fact, with a few simple tools, you can make minor adjustments that can help you achieve a snug fit.
1. Fixing Loose Glasses
If your eyewear seems too loose on the bridge of your nose, or if your glasses slip down your nose, you may be able to adjust the bridge to get a better fit.
Plastic frames without nose pads can be adjusted, but it takes a little more effort. Instead of adjusting the nose pads, you’ll adjust the temple tips. To make them pliable, first heat your plastic frames in hot water or with a hairdryer. Then, bend the temple tips downward, forcing the glasses to sit higher on your nose.
If you have nose pieces, you can adjust them by squeezing the pads closer together until you find a fit that allows them to stay on the bridge of your nose without slipping. In the same way, you can fix a pair of glasses that are too tight on the bridge of your nose by spreading the nose pads apart.
2. The Lenses are Crooked
Maybe you have been driving yourself crazy wondering whether your eyes (or ears) are crooked. While it is true that your body (including your eyes and ears) is not perfectly symmetrical, you’re likely experiencing this problem due to ill-fitting eyewear.
To fix a pair of crooked glasses, you’ll need to bend the temple arm upward or downward (gently). If you aren’t able to adjust your temple arms easily, you may need to use a small screwdriver to loosen the screw in the hinge of your glasses so that you can adjust the arm.
Adjusting metal frames may be easier than with plastic or acetate — plastic and acetate eyeglass frames may not be as flexible.
If adjusting the arms of your glasses does not work, you can try gently manipulating the frames by bending one slightly upward. However, this will only work with crooked frames made from a bendable material.
3. One Lens Is Closer Than the Other
Lenses that are not equidistant from your face can be fixed by bending both of the arms of your glasses toward the side that is too close.
For instance, if the right lens is too close to your face and you find your eyelashes constantly touching it, you can bend each arm to the right side to push that lens out a bit further when you’re wearing your glasses.
4. The Arms Are Too Tight or Too Loose
Adjusting the bridge of the nose usually helps with eyewear that is too loose or too tight, but the arms may also be to blame. Arms that are too tight can give you headaches, and adjusting the arms is usually the solution. Instead of adjusting the arms upward or downward, you’ll adjust them inward and outward.
If your frames are too tight, gently pull the left and right arms out. If they are too loose, push them inward (at the hinge) to make them tighter.
If you adjust your glasses and still don’t have a comfortable fit, it may be a good idea to see an optometrist or an optician and have your glasses custom-fitted… and while you’re there, why not schedule that yearly eye exam you’ve been putting off?
Once you get your script, head on over to Pair Eyewear and discover how you can elevate your eyewear and your style.
Finding Your Favorite Pair
Your yearly vision care budget doesn’t go very far, and if you’re left feeling like you’re in a long-term relationship with basic black frames, we understand. At Pair, we give you the ability to create infinite style options based on one Base Frame style.
It’s easy. First, you choose your Base Frame. Our base Frames include rectangle frames, round frames, and iconic shapes you’ll love. They won’t drain your vision budget and start at just $60.
Next, select your lens type. Whether you need single-vision lenses or progressives, we’ve got you covered.
Last, pick the Top Frames that suit your style and personality. Have fun mixing and matching colors, patterns, licensed characters, and even adding UV sun protection. There are endless ways to change your style without buying numerous expensive glasses. No shade to basic black frames, which are iconic on their own, but when you’ve got access to hundreds of different frame patterns, the possibilities are truly endless.
Our eyewear comes in sizes that make it easy to get a custom-tailored fit. Our options include extra-narrow, narrow, medium, wide, and extra-wide — we’re certain you’ll get the comfort you need and a great pair of stylish glasses.
Get Fitted
Your eyewear should be comfortable, and if a pair of glasses isn’t, these at-home adjustments may do the trick.
However, if your eyewear still gives you problems, make an appointment with your optician to see if you need an adjustment. In addition, you can check out the options at Pair. Our wide variety of sizes makes it easy to get a custom fit for your face and a pattern that matches your personality and style.
Sources:
Fitting of Eyeglasses and Forming Relationships | 2020mag.com
4 DIY Glasses Adjustments for a Comfy and Snug Fit, No Special Tools Required | CNET
See the Full Picture of Your Health with an Annual Comprehensive Eye Exam | AOA