Framing the Perfect Fit
A great frame goes beyond the physical attributes — it needs to fit the face properly and ultimately help the wearer see better. An ill-fitting frame can easily disrupt this— it can slide down the nose, fit too tightly, hit the cheekbones or does not accommodate the lens design needed for the Rx, all of which can cause discomfort and annoyance.
While adjustments can be made, it is not always a simple fix. The reality is that face shapes, head and eye sizes, and facial dimensions come in diverse varieties, so one frame does not always fit all. Eyewear designers have evolved and are proactively acknowledging the necessity to provide options to satisfy the wide range of needs. Manufacturers have recognized the gap for nonstandard needs and are now offering stylish, thoughtful, properly engineered specialty-fit offerings that have made a real difference for eyeglass wearers.
In our office, we offer custom fittings for every frame purchased and work with our customers, no matter what their needs are to ensure that their eyewear works for their Rx and for their lifestyle. Whether the need is for oversized frames, exceptionally small frames, narrow bridges, longer temples, or a frame that can hold a thicker lens type, our team will work to find the best option. Every frame is a specialty fit in our office, because we realize that how well we do this will impact our patients on a daily and even hourly basis, not only with comfort, but with the optical performance of the lenses. Even the best designed lenses utilizing the most advanced optical technology will not work properly if they are not positioned properly in front of the eye, or if they are too loose and won’t stay positioned properly.
Our opticians examine the current frame that a patient is wearing to determine what adjustment issues the patient may currently have. For example, if a patient has one ear higher than the other, we will recommend a frame that will allow for easy leveling temple adjustment rather than one with a thick temple that won’t allow for adjustment at the end piece, near the eye wire. The optician also looks at the patient’s bridge shape when selecting frames – do they require a low set bridge? Will they need adjustable nose pads? The optician also needs to ensure that the temples on a frame are long enough for the patient so that a successful ‘anchor’ adjustment can me made behind the ears, in order to keep the frame situated properly, in addition to ensuring that the temples are not too close to the mastoid along side of the skull. The mastoid is the location of many sensitive nerves that can be easily triggered so the optician does not want to create undue pressure with the frame’s temple adjustment. To anyone who has migraine issues or who cannot tolerate pressure behind their ears, these adjustments are critical.
Changes in Rx and frames may be challenging at first for many patients. Things that can affect adjusting to a new frame with a new Rx, are the distance between the lens and the eye, which can drastically impact how the wearer experiences their vision.
Then, there is the crucial adjustments that are needed for progressive wearer to be successful in using all areas of the lens without having to drop their chin. The correct position of the nose pads and the pantoscopic tilt of the frame really make or break how well the progressive works.
Frame adjustment is probably the most impactful part of what our opticians do every single day— not only in the realm of ensuring the product they wear on their face in all their waking moments is comfortably fit, but that the vision they experience is as comfortable as we can create for them. Our opticians are superbly trained in frame selection, lens selection, and frame adjustments. Our goal is to have our patients’ vision experience once they leave our office, the best that it can be.
