When spectacles are too tight. The best tips for relaxed vision and the perfect fit

The spectacles are pressing against the sides of your head, seeing is strenuous, the nose bridge is annoyingly uncomfortable. What do you do when the spectacles don't fit properly? What can you watch out for when buying spectacles and having them fitted to ensure relaxed and better vision?

Finally! Perfect vision with optimally fitted spectacles and spectacle lenses – but suddenly the sides are pressing against your temples, the nose bridge is getting uncomfortable or the spectacles are constantly slipping down your nose. Continuous relaxed vision does not only depend on having the right spectacle lenses. Everything else regarding them also has to be right for the spectacles to be comfortable all the time and not become irritating for the wearer. There are several ways of achieving greater wearing comfort, usually without spending much time. Here are some tips for a good spectacle fit from BETTER VISION.

In general, thin and light lenses are more comfortable to wear. Plastic spectacle lenses have an advantage, since they can be produced to be up to 50% lighter than mineral lenses (for instance high refractive index lenses from ZEISS made of special plastic). As a rule, the lighter the spectacles are, the more comfortable they are to wear.

The nose bridge is one of the few points of contact between your face and the spectacles, which makes it even more important to have your spectacles fitted perfectly by your ophthalmic optician. The crucial factor is making sure that the nose pads sit ‘solidly’, i.e. the pad surface has as much nose contact as possible and the pads are positioned properly all the way round. Otherwise, the spectacles can lose their grip quickly. With plastic spectacle frames in particular, this should be taken into consideration when choosing and fitting the spectacles because the area around the nose on plastic frames is very difficult to alter afterwards. For spectacles with a metal frame, the nose pads come in many different sizes and materials and can be replaced and adjusted easily. Here, again, your ophthalmic optician is aware of all the special aspects for an optimal fit and is happy to give you further detailed advice.

The sides of the spectacles should be adjusted to the shape of the face so that no pressure can be felt on the temples. Often, such pressing at the temples is misunderstood to mean that the spectacles are sitting properly. Optimally fitted sides should only cause a slight pressure behind the ear to keep the weight of the spectacles from bearing down on the nose. However, if the spectacles are too tight, the sides ‘wander’ up the sides of the head and the spectacle frames slide down the nose.

By the way, in certain situations the sides of plastic spectacle frames can deform slightly due to changes in temperature caused by the weather. If this causes discomfort, your optician can get the spectacles back to their original shape easily.

Tips for active sports fans: Silicone tips and covers for metal spectacle frames are water-repellent and ensure a tight grip and optimum fit even during heavy sweating.

Depending on the type of vision aid required, two completely different criteria can apply for the ideal spectacle frame (for instance for progressive lenses). As a rough rule of thumb though, the optimal size of spectacle frames is a combination of two factors: the pupillary distance and the size of the eye sockets. The top of the frame should be below the eyebrows and above the fold of the eye. This offers the best vision as the rim of the frame or the lenses do not get in the way. For a well-proportioned fit, we recommend spectacle frames which are not much wider than the wearer's face and allow the wearer to look through the middle of the spectacle lenses. More...

Essentially, your ophthalmic optician will be happy to help when your spectacles are ‘pressing’ – they would normally do this, even if you did not buy your spectacles directly from them.

Comfortable and always firmly in place without slipping: a properly fitted frame is also one of the most important criteria when fitting spectacles for children. Here are some tips for the best spectacle model. A round shape has proven to be a good choice for children's spectacles since children always like to look over the rim, and so round spectacles ensure a greater area for seeing through. If you choose metal spectacle frames, you also have a so-called ‘saddle bridge’: two silicone pads joined together that sit on the bridge of the nose providing an extremely comfortable fit. More…

By the way, on the topic of cleaning: the new ZEISS lens cleaning wipes ensure the optimal clarity for your perfectly fitted spectacles. With their new, innovative combination of active ingredients, they clean spectacle lenses or other surfaces (e.g. displays on cameras or mobile phones) effectively and more gently than most of the other cleaning aids (confirmed in independent tests). Also, you can even use them to easily remove any sweat or grease from the skin that leaves a mark during the day on your spectacles.