How to Adjust Eyeglasses

After a period of use, the frames become easy to slip, bunch up on the nose, hurt the ears or simply warp. You can take your lenses to an eyewear store to have them adjusted, or you can adjust them yourself by following these steps.

Table of Contents

Determine the positions that need to be adjusted

Stand in front of the mirror and look straight ahead. Adjust the lenses so that the midpoint of the lenses is in the middle of the eyes. It is the optical center and the ideal location of the lens. All adjustments to the lenses are aimed at achieving this optimal position.

If the lens has two focal points, this line will be on the lower eyelid. If the lens has three focal points, the upper line will be below the base of the pupil.

Find the problem in the glass fork. If the lenses are warped or tilted a lot to one side, it could be due to the pincers. There is a way to test the pins, which is to place the lenses on a flat surface. Both forks must lie symmetrically on the plane. If the two glasses are not balanced, you need to adjust. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If your glasses appear symmetrical when lying on your face but buckle when placed on a flat surface, this means that one of your ears is higher than the other. You need to bend the glasses to compensate for this misalignment of the ears. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Identify problems with the nose pads. Check the height of the glasses when worn on the face. If the lenses are positioned too high or too low, the cause may be a nose pad mite and you will need to adjust this. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Check the grip of the glasses. The lenses may be centered on the face and at the right height, but you will still feel a little loose or a little tight. You can adjust the tightness/looseness of the lenses by bending the ends of the lenses outward or inward, depending on your needs. The ideal place to make this adjustment is at the hinge. Bending the forks outward will reduce unnecessary pressure on the sides of the head or temples, while bending inwards will help the lenses hug the head more tightly. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Check the condition of the glasses slip. Sometimes everything fits, but the glasses often slip down the face. If this is the case, you just need to adjust the top of the screws that attach the lens to the lens frame. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Start adjusting the lenses

Adjust the balance of the two glasses. The two arms extend over the ears and help keep the entire frame in place. After determining which parts need adjustment, you must consider the type of lenses you are using, because fixing the problem with plastic frames is different from metal frames. ^{[6] X Research Source}

For metal frames, you will use a small pliers to straighten the two glasses. Put on your glasses and look in the mirror to see if they are adjusted properly.
- Do not use cutting pliers. You must use flat nose pliers to avoid damaging your glasses.
For plastic frames, the plastic at the end of the glasses needs to be heated with some heat source, such as a hair dryer, in order to be curled. Slowly use your hand to bend the tail of the fork to the desired position. Be careful when using a hair dryer as you can melt the plastic.
Another way to bend plastic frames is to heat them under hot water for 15-25 seconds before adjusting. The magnifying glass will become more pliable for you to adjust, but be careful! The plastic part can break even when heated. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Adjust the fork tail. Check the curvature of the fork tail. If the lenses squeeze or squeeze tightly on the ears or sides of the head, you should bend the tail of the glasses outward. If the lenses are too loose and keep sliding down your nose, twist the ends of the glasses inwards to hug your head. As a reminder, the way you bend the pins will depend on the type of frame you have. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

For metal frames, you will use pliers or your hand to adjust.
For plastic frames, you need to heat the plastic part under hot water or with a dryer before curling the ends of the glasses.

Tighten the screws on either side of the fork. Tightening the screws will solve the problem of glasses slipping down the nose, and keep the lenses in place inside the frame. To tighten screws, you must have a very small screwdriver. These small screwdrivers are often included in eyeglass cleaning and repair kits. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Be careful not to tighten the screw too tightly to avoid damaging the plastic or metal part that is being attached by the screw.

Adjust the nose flap. If the lenses are located too high, you must move the two nose pads away. If the lenses are too low, you must squeeze the two nose pads close together. You must adjust the two dilated or pressed nose flaps at equal distances to maintain the balance of the glasses. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Avoid damaging your glasses

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Adjust in small steps. Each time you adjust the lenses, you must not change too much. It is more difficult to bend the lenses back to their original position after making too many adjustments than the initial adjustment. Adjust little by little, check the lenses, and continue to adjust until satisfactory. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Avoid breaking your glasses. When fixing plastic frames, always use the minimum force required to adjust the lenses. Applying too much force to the heated plastic can break the frame. The lens will then be permanently damaged. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Careful. When using pliers to adjust the frames, wrap the tape around the pliers. The tape will help keep the frames from getting scratched. There is no way to fix the scratches, so even though the glasses are fixed, it will look miserable.

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Learn about your frames. There are several types of lenses that are made of materials that are not adjustable. Frames made of titanium, self-healing plastic or aluminum alloy are manufactured to resist bending or any adjustment. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Know when to give up. While you can make small adjustments to make your glasses fit better, there will come a time when you will have to buy new lenses. If you’ve adjusted your frames, nose pads, or lugs many times and still don’t meet the requirements, it may be time to grit your teeth and buy new lenses. After many years of use, some lenses cannot be restored. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Also note that you need to have your eyes checked at least annually to make sure your lenses are still suitable for your vision.

Advice

Always store your lenses in a protective case to prevent scratches and prolong the life of the frames.
Protect the lenses from scratches by holding the lenses with a soft cloth during repair.
If you don’t know how to adjust, you should take your glasses to an optician. An optometrist will help you with adjustments for a very low or no cost.
Eyeglass repair kits are available at eyeglass stores. Including all the necessary tools to adjust eyeglasses.

Warning

Be gentle when bending the glass. Too much force can break the frame or break the lens.
Be careful when adjusting multifocal lenses. Small adjustments can make a big difference to the function of these lenses. If you are unsure, you should ask an optometrist to make corrections.

Things you need

Mirror
Small flat head screwdriver
Pointed pliers
Soft and clean cloth

Steps