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A Cheat Sheet For The Most Comfortable Eyeglasses Of Your Life

Lenses | Frame front | Eye size | Bridge size | Nose pads | Temple size | Tips for the perfect fit

Given how much time we spend wearign our glasses, it's important that they're comfortable in terms of both fit and vision. Here are all the factors you need to consider to get the most comfortable glasses possible.
A cheat sheet for the most comfortable eyeglasses of your life

After many weeks or perhaps even months of headaches and squinting your eyes to be able to see who is across the room or what that street sign says, you have finally paid a visit to your optometrist and it’s been established that you need glasses.

If you will need to wear them ‘all day, every day, then you should carefully consider the comfort factor of your glasses, rather than just the aesthetics.  Keep reading to find out everything there is to know about selecting the most comfortable eyeglasses for you.

If you’ve read our article on the different parts of glasses, consider this as part two- covering factors you should consider for that perfect fit.

Lenses

The most important parts of your new pair of glasses are the lenses, as they are what will ultimately correct your vision. However, not all lenses are suitable for all eyeglass frames.

For example, high prescription lenses would feel rather heavy on wired frames. Hence, we recommend selecting your lenses as step 1 when buying new glasses. After all, you’ll only be able to fully rely on your glasses’ visual support if you select the right lenses for your needs.

  • High prescriptions have a significant role to play in the weight of your glasses and greatly impact the overall comfort of the lenses. Opt for smaller rounded lens shapes or higher index lenses to buff off excess thickness. Not only will it help reduce the weight, but it will also look more aesthetically pleasing.
  • In the past, mineral glass was predominantly used in the manufacturing of eyeglasses. This made the specs not only heavy but also fragile. These days, there’s a variety of lens materials as well as accompanying coatings to adapt them to your lifestyle needs. Materials like polycarbonate are lightweight and extremely impact-resistant, making them ideal comfortable eyeglasses for kids.
DID YOU KNOW

There is no one-for-all option when it comes to getting maximum comfort from your glasses, they need to match up to your specific requirements.

Frame front

Let’s take a look at the frame front. The shape of the frames you’ll get yourself depends on your face shape. This is one of the most significant factors since your eyeglasses are one of the first things that anybody will notice about you. The right frames can help bring out the best of your facial features.

It’s a good rule of thumb for those with round faces to opt for angular spectacle frames, whereas those with angular faces to opt for round frames to balance their overall look. You want to make sure that your frames flatter your personal style.

So, be sure to select styles, brands, or colors based on your lifestyle, personality, and professional needs. But these requirements are only secondary. The primary concern of importance when it comes to comfortable eyeglasses is sizing.

Eye size:

Eye Size

Measurement (mm)

Small

40-48mm

Medium

49-54mm

Large

55-58mm

Extra-Large

Above 58mm

Other measurements printed on your eyeglass frames are:

 

Bridge size:

This refers to the horizontal distance between the two lenses, which makes the number much smaller than your eye size. It’s typically measured in the 14-24mm range.

The size and type of bridge play a role in how the weight gets distributed over your nose, hence impacting how comfortable your eyeglasses would be. The frames should never feel too tight against the nose. There can be a slight gap between the bridge of the glasses and your nose.

If the eyeglass bridge is too wide, the glasses will slide down. If it’s too narrow, it’ll lead to a lot of pressure on the sinuses. If you have a low nose bridge, ask for low bridge glasses for a perfect fit. Look for styles such as rectangular or horn-rimmed, paying attention to the width of the bridge.

Nose pads:

If you observe plastic eyeglasses, you’ll notice that such frames have a solid nose bridge. They are designed so as to distribute the weight across the entire nose. Metal frames typically feature nose pads, i.e., small plastic pads that rest on either side of the nose to evenly distribute the weight.

These are easy to adjust and replace to fit a myriad of face shapes. When these nose pads are set incorrectly, they can leave marks and also result in painful pinching. The nose pads should stay put on both sides of your nose.

Having them too far up or down can make them feel too tight on the nose and in some cases, even lower how much oxygen you inhale through your nostrils.

Nose pads are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours to help you achieve optimum comfort with your glasses. In the market, you can find replacement nose pads of the following types: adhesive silicone nose pads, screw-in, push-in, slide-in, and clip-on.

Nose pads can be maintained by cleaning and adjusting them regularly just like the rest of your glasses. However, if you notice that they’ve accumulated a lot of dirt & grime and have become too loose, it could be time to replace them. This can help prolong the life of your eyeglasses at a very reasonable price.

Temple size:

This is the length of the arms connecting your frame front to the back of your head (behind the ears). It’s a 3-digit number in the 120-165mm range. How should the eyeglass temples fit? The length should be such that they should bend downward at a 45-degree angle just after the top of your ears.

Only about 30-45mm should extend beyond this point and gently fit along -the contour of your head behind your ear. This will keep the frame securely in its place without exerting pressure or leaving marks on your ear.

If you’re getting yourself eyeglasses with temples designed to stay straight all the way, their ends should be such that there’s gentle pressure on the back of your skull to keep the frame in place securely without any pain.

If your frames fit well but if it hurts to wear your glasses the entire day, eyewear cushions or temple socks might be an option. Tender skin behind the ears can be soothed by applying baby powder on the affected area.

Tips for the perfect fit

If the frames are too large, it will be very evident- they won’t even sit on your face and will slide down your nose. Conversely, if they’re too small, they might pinch the cheeks and even lead to headaches.

The closer that the eyeglass measurements are to your face’s measurements, the more comfortable fit you’ll experience with your eyeglasses. The frames must also be compatible with your selection of lenses.

Another not-so-obvious factor for deciding your frames is the material used to craft them. Frames can be made from cellulose acetateplastic, metal like titanium, or carbon fiber. Your eyeglasses should feel comfortable from the moment you wear them.

Also, consider if you suffer from allergies to the main component of the frames, for example, metal.

Wearing glasses with headphones can be quite uncomfortable. In these situations, earphones just don’t cut it. If you’re a headphones addict, consider thin frame glasses for optimizing the noise-cancellation.

Familiarise yourself with adjusting eyeglasses that don’t fit perfectly so that you can save yourself a trip to the optician and keep feeling comfortable with your new eyeglasses.

The point is for your eyeglasses’ shape and size to be in harmony with your face, bringing about an overall balanced look. If you find that you’re experiencing eye strain even after finding the right size frames, it could be a sign that the pupillary distance or the distance between your pupils was incorrectly measured.

When you’re buying eyeglasses online, it’s just as important as your prescription to have an accurate PD reading.

Wearing glasses comes with a period of adjustment. It is normal to experience headaches and tiredness in the eyes during the initial days. However, as the eye muscles get used to relaxing instead of working as hard to understand what you’re seeing, the headaches and soreness disappear.

Wearing new glasses can also be accompanied by minor dizziness or sensitivity to light, but that usually only occurs within the first few days. To ease yourself into this, we advise that you try wearing your glasses for a few hours at a  time during the first week to slowly ease yourself into this new habit and feel more comfortable with your glasses.

If you’re ready to find your new pair of comfortable glasses, browse our collection of over 80,000 specs from 180 top brands at the best prices here.

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