How to adjust your glasses at home

Finally, your new glasses have arrived! Time to unpack your new favourites and put them on right away.

But wait a minute, isn't there something wrong? Your long-awaited spectacles don't fit properly?

No need to worry, in fact, this issue is very common among spectacle wearers. But in order to enjoy your glasses as a year-round companion, they have to fit well. After all, crooked glasses can pinch your ears, temples and nose.

So how can you bend your spectacle frame into shape? Simply adjust your glasses frame yourself at home!

Here's how to adjust your spectacle frames

OK. Sometimes new eyeglasses need to be adjusted. Not because their frames haven't been carefully crafted. It's more likely that your face or head shape are not quite symmetrical. You might have a very narrow nose, or slightly unevenly sized ears – which is why your glasses may not fit 100% well.

So let's get your glasses adjusted! First things first: you don't need an appointment with an optician if your glasses are crooked or pinch uncomfortably. Even if they're too loose, you can take action from the comfort of your own home – regardless of whether you have a plastic or a wire frame. Let the following 4 tips show you how to easily bend your glasses frame yourself!

Note: Many frame materials are easily adjustable, such as stainless steel or plastic / acetate. Other frames cannot be adjusted, including temples made of titanium, memory titanium, memory plastic and aluminium alloy. And don't forget: even if most spectacle materials are strong, you shouldn't use excessive force.

How to adjust glasses nose pads

If your specs constantly slip off your nose or press on the side of your nose, you should adjust your glasses – either by making your nose pads tighter, or wider. We'll show you how.

Want to know how to tighten your glasses?

Your glasses sit too low on your nose? That shouldn't be a reason to return them. If you follow our simple trick, you'll learn in no time how to make your glasses a little tighter at the nose pads.

Here's how to tighten wire frame glasses:

• Gently press the nose pads closer together with your thumbs.
• Make sure they fit snugly on both sides of the nose.

This is how you tighten the nose pads of your plastic frames:

• Place your glasses in a bowl of warm water for about 60 seconds.
• Gently apply pressure inwards and downwards on the end of the temples.
• Continue until you achieve a tighter fit behind the ears.

These methods will tighten your glasses a little at the nose so that they no longer slip down.

How to loosen nose pads on glasses

Your eyeglasses are pinching your nose and you want to adjust the nose pads? Again, this is a small matter that you can solve effortlessly at home. Actually, you do the exact opposite of tightening the glasses. Take a look.

How to loosen nose pads on wire frame glasses:

• Use your thumbs to spread the nose pads.
• Adjust in small steps until they fit comfortably.

Here's how to loosen nose pads with plastic frame spectacles:

• Place your spectacles in a bowl of warm water for 60 seconds.
• Gently apply outward and upward pressure to the end of the temples.
• Continue until you reach a relaxed fit behind the ears.

How to adjust glasses arms

Not only the nose pads can be adjusted, but also the spectacle temples. This comes in handy if 1) your glasses look either crooked, or 2) one lens is closer to your eyes than the other. Your slightly uneven ears are probably responsible for this.

Learn how to adjust glasses for uneven ears

One of your lenses sits higher than the other? This is a problem that many spectacle wearers are familiar with, as the ears usually have slightly different sizes and shapes. So how do you straighten your glasses without breaking them?

When the left spectacle lens is higher than the right lens:

• Gently bend the right temple arm down
• Be sure to bend the frame on an adjustable part of the temple: directly at the hinge or at the bend at the ear.

When the right spectacle lens is higher than the left spectacle lens:

• Carefully bend the left temple arm down
• Adjust where the temple is most flexible: at the hinge or the bend at the ear.

How to adjust the distance of the spectacle lens to the eye

One of your spectacle lenses is closer to your eye than the other and thus touches your eyelashes or impairs your vision? We have put together a few helpful tips to counter this problem.

Here's what to do when your left spectacle lens is closer to your eye than the right lens:

• Gently bend the left temple arm in …
• … and bend the right temple arm outwards at the hinge.

And if the right lens is closer to your eye than the left lens?

• Carefully bend the right temple arm in …
• … and bend the left temple arm outwards at the hinge.

Can you adjust glasses with hot water?

You can easily adjust your glasses by bending the frame with gentle, even pressure. All you have to do is warm the glasses arms by immersing them in warm water.

But be careful: hot water can damage the coating of the spectacle lenses. Make sure that the water is only warm, not hot, and keep the water jet away from the lenses.

Here's how to adjust glasses with hot water

1. Hold the temple under warm water for 40–60 seconds to soften the frame material.
2. You wish to tighten the glasses arm? Then bend the end of it downwards, grasping the temple at the bend.
3. Want to loosen the temple? Simply bend the end of the temple upwards.

Can you adjust glasses with a hair dryer?

No, please do not use a hair dryer to heat and bend your glasses frame – this could damage both the frame and lenses. Rather opt for the above method with warm water.