With so much in the world clamouring for our attention, a fault in our vision can add a hidden challenge to our daily lives. Sometimes this fault can be as small as poorly fitted glasses. It’s not just a matter of aesthetics: properly fitted glasses help you get the most out of your prescription, avoid headaches, and reduce eye strain.
Welcome to an eye-opening discourse—quite literally—on the meticulous art of wearing well-fitted eyewear.
The Trouble With Improperly Fitted Glasses
Ideally, you shouldn’t give much thought to your glasses during your daily routine. Pop them on when you need them, and get on with your day. But if your eyewear isn’t aligned with your face’s unique contours, it can lead to a whole bunch of issues.
Now, poorly fitted glasses won’t permanently damage your eyes, but they can make achieving your daily goal much more frustrating.
Some of the issues improperly fitted glasses cause include:
Blurry Vision
If your glasses don’t fit right, they can make your vision blurry—which is the opposite of what they’re supposed to do! The way glasses work is that they need to line up just right with your eyes so they can correct your vision properly. If they don’t fit well, or move too much during the day, the light doesn’t hit the right spot in your eyes anymore and things look blurry or weird.
Eye Strain
If your glasses are constantly sliding down your nose, your eyes have to keep adjusting. It’s like if you had to spend your entire workday lifting weights. Just the same, this extra effort can make your eyes feel exhausted. Eye strain can even lead to dry eye, doubling your irritation and making it hard to focus for long periods.
Overall, this can also lower your productivity and overall quality of life. Getting glasses that fit right can prevent these problems and help your glasses work better for you.
Headaches
One of the most undermining effects of poorly fitted glasses is relentless headaches.
We’ve already discussed how when glasses don’t align properly with your face, they can make your eyes work overtime. What some people don’t know is this constant, underlying strain on the eye muscles can escalate into a full-blown headache.
Such headaches can persist throughout the day, particularly intensifying with prolonged use of incorrect eyewear. You may not even register that it’s your glasses causing the problem.
Alternatively, glasses that are too small can pinch your nose and squeeze behind your ears. While this pressure may feel manageable at first, the constant force can create a headache.
Signs Your Glasses Don’t Fit
Before the frustrating symptoms like blurry vision, eye strain, and headaches set in, watch for signs your glasses don’t fit, such as:
- Your glasses slide down your nose
- Your glasses fall off when you move your head too fast
- Your frames or nose pads leave marks on your nose
- Your glasses’ arms leave marks on your cheeks
- You find yourself tilting your head to see better
Your optician can usually adjust your frames to fit better, or help you pick glasses that fit your features.
How Opticians Fit Glasses
We hope it’s clear now that a proper fit for glasses is crucial. The frames need to sit comfortably on the face and the lenses need to be reliably aligned with the eyes. It’s possible to achieve this with trial and error, but opticians have a few more tricks up their sleeves.
A professional optical team can measure your facial features to determine the best fit for your unique face. This includes the distance between your pupils, the bridge of your nose, and the shape of your face.
The width of your frames should match your temples, not extending too far past while also not being too narrow. They shouldn’t touch your cheeks or lift up when you smile. Ideally, look for frames that don’t cover your eyebrows. This is less about a comfortable fit and more about letting you show your expressions!
Opticians can help you find frames that suit your face shape and that accentuate the best of your facial contours. This is more a matter of preference, but here are some suggestions:
- For individuals with an oval face, the world of eyewear is your oyster. Your face’s naturally balanced proportions allow for a wide array of frame shapes. Still, diamond or rectangular frames can introduce a pleasing contrast to your softer edges.
- Those with a square face, characterized by strong jawlines and broad foreheads, may find round or oval frames soften their angular features, creating a gentle yet striking effect.
- Round faces often benefit from square or rectangular frames. These sharper angles can lend a sense of elongation.
- Heart-shaped faces, with their wider foreheads and narrower chins, can benefit from frames that balance the face’s upper and lower halves. Consider frames wider at the bottom and rimless designs to soften and broaden the lower part of your face.
Ensure Your Eyewear Works For You
Glasses should be your ally, so if you discover you’re fighting them more often than not, it’s worth investing in your ocular comfort. Our Maple Ridge Eye Care optical team is ready to help you find the eyewear that works for you—not against you.
Schedule an appointment today and let’s get you seeing comfortably!
