Day 1.9 - Adjusting Frames

The Fitting Triangle

The fitting triangle is crucial to a happy customer.  Getting the triangle wrong can result in a great deal of discomfort for the customer.  One of your most important skills is the ability to manipulate a pair of glasses to closely follow the contours of the customer’s head and face, for a secure and comfortable fit.  It’s an art that requires much thought and practice.

The fitting triangle is the three points on a person’s face that the frame should touch.  The frame should be equally balanced between the bridge of a person’s nose, and the top of each ear.

It’s important to know the part of a frame before you can begin adjusting.  

• The eye wire or rim is what holds the lenses in place in the frame.
• The bridge is the part of the frame that goes across your nose.  
• The nose pad arms are typically only on metal frames.  It is the part of the glasses that holds the nose pad.
• The nose pad is the part that rests on your nose.
• The hinge is the part of the glasses that allows the earpieces to fold in and out.
• The temple is the sidepiece that extends behind your ear.

After the customer puts on his/her frames, follow these steps...

1. Look at the sides of their face and make sure the temples are not touching the sides of the face. The temples should reach around the skull and touch at the tops of the ears.  If they aren’t, curve the temples out away from the head just enough so they aren’t touching the head.  However, be careful not to curve the temples out too much because this can add pressure to the bridge of the customer's nose.  Your goal is to get the frames adjusted just enough so they only touch the top of the ear.

2. Another area to ensure a correct fit is behind the ears.  When the customer has their frames on, pay special attention to the way the frame looks behind their ear.  Feeling behind the ear with just your fingers is not a sufficient evaluation, so you may have to move their hair out of the way so you can see it clearly (make sure you ask for permission before touching the customer).  The temple should begin its curve about 1 millimeter past the point where the ear and skull meet, and it should be about 1” in length behind the ear.  It should have a sharp curve and follow the line of the back of the ear and lightly touch the skull, not the ear.  The temple and bend should not put excessive pressure on the top or back of the ear.  When adjusting for behind the ear, be careful of the bone that is directly behind the ear (it is extremely sensitive).  In some customers, this bone is easier to see than in others.  So make sure you feel behind the ear to ensure that the temple is not touching it.  If the temple rubs against this bone it can cause serious discomfort.

3. The next adjustment that should be focused on is the nose pads (this is only necessary on nose pads that you can adjust.  Most nose pads on plastic frames can’t be moved). Make sure the nose pad sits flush against the side of the nose in all directions to ensure equal distribution of the weight of the frame. 

4. The final adjustment that should be made is the pantoscopic tilt. When evaluating pantoscopic tilt, have the customer turn their head so you can see how the lenses tilt.  The tilt should be between 5 and 15 degrees.  This is especially important with a bifocal or no-line pair of glasses.  Make sure the bifocal segment is in the correct position when the customer is looking down to read.

You can change the pantoscopic tilt by bending the end piece so that the lower part of the frame sits closer to the face than the top.  

5. While observing the pantoscopic tilt also check for equidistance.  Make sure the lenses are equal in distance to each eye.  To do this, ask the customer to look down and view the frame by looking down on it.  If one lens appears closer to the eye than the other, whichever lens is closer to the eye, the same side temple needs to be brought closer to the head, and the opposite brought out further from the head.

If you are adjusting a zyl (plastic) frame, these adjustments must be made by heating up the plastic so it is moldable.  Note: Make sure your supervisor is watching you while you are adjusting zyl frames.  It is easy to melt frames, or not realize where all of the pressure is going when learning to adjust.

If you are adjusting a metal frame, these adjustments should be made with a pair of pliers.  The pliers have nylon plastic on them to help reduce the risk of scratching the frame.

To ensure the perfect fit, ALWAYS check for these things while the customer is picking out their frames.  Some frames simply won’t work for a person and it’s better to know sooner than later.  Most frames will have to be adjusted to fit the customer's face and it is crucial to do this before any measurements are taken (pupil distance, segment height, etc).

 Watch a trainer adjust 3 pairs of glasses. (Don't be afraid to ask questions while he/she is doing it.) 

Ask the trainer for 5 demo pairs of glasses (2 metal, 3 plastic) and adjust them to fit his/her face.  Demonstrate each of the 5 points while adjusting a pair of demo glasses. Also, take out the screws on 2 pair and put them back in.  (You may have to have the trainer watch/help you).

Things to remember when adjusting......

If a frame is low on the right, lower the right temple, or raise the left temple. 

Use your thumbs to make sure the nose pads are even (remember they will wiggle).

Adjust the actual pair of glasses the customer will purchase during measuring if the customer is getting a bi/trifocal, or if they have a high poly prescription (-/+4.00).