Easy Ways To Adjust Your Prescription Glasses

Your eyeglasses frames are designed to comfortably fit your face size and shape. When your frames become bent, twisted, or misaligned, they can create an uncomfortable situation. Find out how to adjust your prescription glasses at home to restore their original shape. Don't stop wearing your glasses because of pinching, a loose fit, or other issues.

How To Make the Right Adjustment

Before you make any adjustments, it's important to consider what type of issue you're having. This affects where you make the adjustments. It's best to make minor adjustments at first. Over-adjusting and re-adjusting your glasses can wear them out or compromise your frames. For large adjustments, you may need to order a new pair of frames.

Many adjustments require you to carefully bend your frames. Plastic frames can be quite firm, so consider running warm water over them before attempting to bend them. Don't ever use boiling water, and try not to get too much hot water on your lenses. This can wear away anti-fog or anti-scratch coatings.

If you try to make extreme adjustments without running your plastic frames under hot water, you could crack or compromise the material. Even the most sturdy frames have a breaking point, so use care that you don't over-adjust frames.

Common Issues That Require Adjustments

Your glasses can be adjusted in a wide range of ways. Here are some common issues that require adjustments:

• One lens higher or closer than the other
• Looseness or tightness around your temples
• Slipping or pinching at your nose or ears

Minor adjustments are easy to make by gently pulling or pushing on your frames. The easiest places to adjust frames are at the hinge, the nose pieces, and the part of the arm that crosses over your ear. For a high lens, gently push down the opposite arm at an angle. A close lens is usually fixed by pushing the arm inward slightly and the opposite arm outward.

If your glasses feel tight or loose around the temples, it's a sign that the arms of your frames need to be adjusted inward or outward. Gently hold your glasses and bend the arms, either near the hinge or near the end, in the desired direction. Take care to bend both arms approximately the same amount to avoid making one lens higher or closer than the other.

Slipping and pinching is usually opposite problems. These problems are caused by arms or nose pieces that are adjusted too wide or too narrow. Gently push in or out to relieve pressure or add enough pressure to keep your eyeglasses from slipping.

It can take some time to find the ideal adjustment, so be patient as you adjust your frames. Small adjustments to the arms of your frame can, over time, lead to a comfortable, even fit. While not every issue can be solved with adjusting, you may be surprised at what a few minor alterations can do to restore a comfortable, convenient fit.

If the arms of your glasses are too short, the frames are too narrow or you experience other issues that can't be solved by bending your frames, it's time to order prescription glasses online. Purchase new glasses that have the measurements you need to enjoy comfortable frames and clear vision.

Wire Frame vs. Plastic Frame Glasses

Both wire frame and plastic frame glasses can be safely adjusted at home. The main difference between the two, in terms of adjusting, is the type of nose piece. Most plastic frame glasses don't include separate nose pieces, while most wire frame glasses do.

If you don't have separate nose pieces, you'll need to make all your adjustments using the arms of the glasses. Wire frame glasses allow you to adjust the nose pieces individually, which can solve some pinching or slipping issues without bending the arms at all.

Always adjust your glasses slowly. Both metal and plastic frames can be compromised if you grip them too aggressively with tools or bend them too far. Minor adjustments are best to avoid permanent damage.