Adjusting Frames – A Word of Warning

We all know the frustrations of glasses that are too loose or too tight. Constantly pushing your glasses back to the top of your nose or even worse, constant headaches from really tight frames. It can make some of the DIY frames adjusting techniques on the internet very appealing.

But not all information on the internet is true, some of these techniques might put your opticals and sunglasses in danger.

The most common adjustments that we do here at The Eye Place are simply making glasses fit better so that you can actually see nice and clearly.

Your glasses can be adjusted in many different ways. An acetate or plastic frame needs to be heated to make the material more malleable and adjustable so that we can make the frame fit tighter or looser behind your ears.

Basically we look to have the frame sitting higher or lower on your face so that you’re looking through the optical centre of the lens, for maximum clarity of your vision.

Frames that are fitting too tight eventually start to push behind your ears on the bone, and that can lead to headaches. To fix this, it’s just a matter of adjusting frames and making the fitting looser behind your ears. Also, you can have frames that constantly slipping forward, so you might find yourself pushing them up your face thousand times a day.

In these situations, the frame is too loosely fitted behind your ears and that’s something easily to adjust by making the frame tighter.

The other common issue with frames fitting is if they are crooked. It can be because you fell asleep in them, or if you got bumped, or someone knocked your glasses off or accidentally sat on them.

That’s a matter of, again, adjusting the frame depending on what material is, for the higher arm to fix it back into alignment, or heating them at the bridge and twisting your frame into position.

A Word of Warning – Beware of DIY!!

Some of the DIY adjusting tips and techniques that I’ve seen on the Internet, particularly adjusting for the acetate or plastic frames, do look a little risky!! Those where you’re either heating the frame with a hairdryer, lighters or even hot water.

Hot water that’s too hot, can actually do a damage to your acetate or the plastic material. Alternatively, if the frame is not hot enough, and you try to bend the frame, you can snap it. Basically, it’s not worth the risk.

My suggestion is, rather than trying the DIY glass adjustment tips that you find on the Internet or a what a friend tells you, you’re always best to bring it to the professionals. Like us, here at The Eye Place.

The best part is, there’s no charge for this service.

Adam Maher
Optometrist at The Eye Place