In this article, you will learn how to adjust your metal frame glasses at home. But before we begin we need a few things in preparation to fix your crooked frame. Besides the glasses, it is good to have:
- a plier
- small piece of a carton
- sticky tape
The reason is in most cases you need to push on the positions of the frame which can be quite a delicate task. With a plier, you can control the pressure better. But a normal plier would scratch the surface this is why we wrap a little carton around the plier and secure it with a little tape. Then we can make the adjustments to the metal frame safely.
How To Adjust a Metal Frame When One Side Sits Higher Than the Other?
When your glasses are crooked you need to identify the cause. First, you need to check the glasses from above. Pay attention if one side (where each lens is positioned) is more or less tilted compared to the other side. If so you need to grab twist the frame in a position where the lenses sit at the same angle.
Therefore place your thumbs on the nasal part of the backside of your glasses on both sides. Place the index finger and your middle finger on the front side of the lenses. Now you can twist the bridge (the middle part of the metal frame) a little by twisting the lenses so they are positioned at the same angle.
After you did some slight adjustments to the metal frame place the glasses in front of you and look at it again from above to see if you are progressing in the right direction. If the bridge of the glasses was not the problem we need to examine the sides of the frames. Here you will see the end pieces and the temples. Both are combined by a hinge.
So if the whole side is positioned at the wrong angle you need to grab the end piece and repositioned the whole side so your glasses do not sit crooked anymore. If the temple is bent down you need to hold the end piece with your fingers and grab the temple the plier behind the hinge.
If the glasses sit too low on the left side like in our example here in the picture the left side ( at the end piece or temple) needs to be adjusted down. Or of course, the opposite side needs to be repositioned up. Just look at the pictures and things will get easier. When I say left side I always mean your left eye.
Perform adjustments with caution and after you repositioned the end piece or the temple a bit try your glasses on again and look in the mirror to see if the desired result is achieved. If not you need to bend the sides a little more.
The temples are oftentimes not positioned at exactly the same angle because your face is not totally symmetrical. However, in some cases the temples are or the end pieces are not the way to go adjusting a crooked frame. In some cases it is the temple tips. When they are too tight on one side they will push up the glasses on this side.
In order to check the temple tips grab two mirrors and look at yourself from the side. Or take a selfie from the side. If the temple tip is fitted too tight the bent part can be seen by you. But actually, the bent part should be hidden behind your ear and the temple piece should be sitting even on your ear.
If the temple tip is bent too early grab your hairdryer and warm your temple tips up for a minute until you can feel the plastic is not as stiff anymore. Then place your thumbs on top of the temple tip and your fingers on the area where the temple tip touches your ear.
Now apply pressure to straighten the temple tip. When the temple is straight you can bend it again a couple of millimeters more towards the end of the temple tip. This way the temple tip will be more hidden behind your ear and your glasses will not sit crooked anymore in your face.
Adjust the Metal Frame When It Is Too Wide or Too Tight
When the metal frame is too wide and slides down your nose usually the end piece needs a slight adjustment. Therefore grab the prepared plier.
- Hold the frame on the part where the lens sits in the frame
- grab the end piece
- and rotate the plier so the end piece bends the temple in when the glasses are too wide
- and rotate the plier so the end piece bends the temple out when the glasses are too tight
Adjusting Nose Pads
The nose pads can be adjusted if you pinch the nose pad and the cup holding it between your index finger and your thumb. But in most cases, the nose pads are not perfectly positioned when they are only pushed to the left or the right. Because as you look at your nose in the mirror you will notice it is shaped in certain angles.
So the missing part for the perfect adjustment is oftentimes the rotation of the nose pad on your metal frame.
As you look in the mirror the nose pad should sit very even with its surface on your nose. If you see a location where it does not align nicely with your nose because it is more tilted than it should be or you have pressure marks after removing the glasses the nose pads should be positioned at another angle.
Opticians use a special plier for this and can adjust the nose pads in a matter of seconds so the glasses will just settle optimally on your nose. When you do this at home with a plier you should use the prepared plier wrapped with a carton I described before.
This way you prevent damage on the surfaces of the frame. Because the coatings of metal frames are very delicate. I recommend positioning the plier on the cup where you can see the screw. Do not produce too much pressure when grabbing the cup of the nose pad and then turn it a little.
Then after adjusting the nose pads try the glasses on and check back in the mirror if the nose pads now sit perfectly even on your nose. If not, take the plier and adjust it again.
By adjusting the nose pads you could even increase the distance from your eyes to your glasses if you touch the lenses with your eyelashes. This can be done by pulling the cup in which the nose pads sit a little away from the frame. Of course, if the distance between your eyes and the frame is too big you can minimize the distance by bending the whole nose pad towards the frame.
I wish you a great day.
