How to Adjust Your Glasses

Everyone who wears eyeglasses will likely experience periods where their glasses feel uncomfortable or misaligned. Misalignment can be caused by dropping or bumping your glasses, heat deformation, or sometimes just natural deformation after you've owned your glasses for a long time.

Many people will need to adjust their glasses right after they purchase them for the first time in order to get them to feel "right". Since most eyeglasses require adjustments at some point, learning to self-adjust your glasses is a valuable skill to learn.

Keep in mind, some eyeglasses may be past the point of repair, and it may be necessary to purchase a replacement pair. Luckily, AC Lens carries a wide variety of discount eyeglass frames that can make the re-ordering process quick and easy. Visit the AC Lens eyeglasses shop to get started.

How Do I Adjust My Eyeglasses?

Many people prefer to go to their eye doctors to get their glasses professionally adjusted. While this is the best way to get a reliable fit, going to a doctor typically costs time as well as money. If you can adjust your glasses at home for free why bother going to an optical shop? While your glasses are fragile, manual adjustment is easier to learn than most people would think. If you have an old pair of glasses we suggest practicing on them prior to trying to adjust your primary pair of eyeglasses.

If your glasses seem tilted or off center:

Set your eyeglasses upside down on a flat surface. The temples (ear pieces) should both rest on the table. If one of the temples is elevated off the table, it needs an adjustment to match the other temple.

If your glasses seem too high or low:

An adjustment should be made on the nose piece if your glasses seem too high or low. Spreading the nose pieces will lower the placement of your frames, and bringing the nose pieces together will raise the frame.

If your glasses feel tight or loose:

You can adjust your temples by bowing them out or bending them in. Adding a slight outward bend on your temples will alleviate stress and tightness on the side of your head, and adding an inward bend will similarly tighten your glasses on your head.

For Plastic Frames

Plastic frames are not very pliable at room temperature. Due to their elastic nature, adjusting plastic frames can be more difficult than adjusting metal frames. The benefit with plastic frames is that they're more difficult to deform than wire metal frames, which means they'll require fewer adjustments than metal frame eyeglasses would. If you need to make major adjustments on plastic frames, it may be a good idea to consider a trip to an optometry clinic, since major adjustments can be risky on plastic glasses.

In order to permanently adjust plastic frames, heat is required. Run your glasses under hot water for approximately 15-25 seconds. After the frames have warmed up, apply light pressure to the area where you need to make an adjustment. Be careful not to press too hard as plastic can snap even after being heated. Make sure not to overheat your glasses as well, since overheating can result in over deformation, discoloration, or melting. Make sure to try your glasses on after each adjustment is made before making more adjustments. A small adjustment may have a greater impact than you would think.

For Metal Frames

Metal frames do not require heat to adjust them, although it may be easier to mold the frames properly if they're warmed up. Metal frames may require frequent adjustments since some metals used to manufacture eyeglasses are easily bent through daily activity.

In order to permanently adjust metal frames, gradually apply pressure where needed until a noticeable change is made. Be sure to apply pressure lightly, since bending a frame back can be more difficult than making the initial adjustment. Make sure to try your glasses on after each adjustment is made before making more adjustments. A small adjustment may have a greater impact than you would think.

Other Information About Adjusting Eyeglasses

If your frames still do not fit even after multiple adjustments, it may be time to purchase a new pair of eyeglasses.

Even if your glasses can be adjusted to fit, you may want to consider a new pair of glasses as some metals used in modern eyeglass frames are more resistant to deforming than older more pliable metals.