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Frame Care & Fit Guide
How Your Glasses Should Fit — and How to Care for Them
A well-made frame that fits badly will always lose to an average frame that fits well. This guide covers how to tell whether your glasses or sunglasses actually fit, what to do when they don't, and how to look after them so they last for years rather than months. It applies to any eyewear — not just ours — and it's the same advice I gave across the dispensing bench for years.
If you take one thing from this page: almost every "these don't feel right" problem is a fitting problem, not a frame problem, and it's usually fixed in minutes by a trained pair of hands.
How glasses should fit: six checkpoints
Put your glasses on, look straight into a mirror, and work through these.
1. The frame front sits level
The top rim should run parallel with your brow line, and both lenses should sit at the same height. If one side sits visibly lower, a temple has been bent — extremely common, and a two-minute fix.
2. Your eyes sit near the center of the lens
Horizontally, your pupils should be close to the center of each lens; vertically, slightly above the midline. Eyes sitting far off-center usually means the frame width is wrong for your face, which matters more for prescription lenses than for sunglasses.
3. The bridge carries the weight
Roughly 90% of the weight of a pair of glasses should rest on your nose, with the ears simply stopping them sliding backwards. If you feel most of the pressure behind your ears, the fit is off.
4. The temples follow your head without pinching
The arms should run straight back, make light contact above the ear, then curve gently down behind it. They shouldn't squeeze your temples, and they shouldn't flare so wide that the frame slides forward every time you look down.
5. Your cheeks stay clear when you smile
Smile widely. If the frame lifts off your nose or your cheeks push it upward, the frame sits too low or is too large in depth for your face.
6. They stay put when you look down
Tip your head forward as if reading your phone. A correctly adjusted frame barely moves. Sliding here is the single most common complaint — and the single easiest thing to fix.
Signs the fit is wrong
- Constant sliding down the nose
- Deep red marks or indentations either side of the bridge
- Soreness or a pressure headache behind the ears after a few hours
- Eyelashes brushing the lenses
- The frame rocking or pivoting when you touch one corner
- Visibly crooked frames in photographs
None of these mean you chose the wrong frame. They mean the frame hasn't been shaped to your head yet — which is a normal, expected part of owning eyewear, not a defect.
Getting them adjusted (please don't force it)
Frame materials behave very differently, and this is where good intentions do real damage.
| Material | Varadero frames | How it adjusts |
|---|---|---|
| Cellulose acetate | Gaviota, Atlas | Needs gentle, even heat before it will move. Cold acetate is brittle and can snap at the temple or hinge. |
| Titanium | Capri, Flamingo | Adjusted cold, but it's springy and has memory. It needs proper pliers and a feel for how far it will travel. |
What not to do: don't run frames under hot water, don't aim a hairdryer at them, don't bend acetate cold, and don't try to true up a titanium frame by hand. Heat warps acetate permanently and degrades lens coatings; cold-bending snaps it.
What to do instead: take them to any local optician. An adjustment usually takes a few minutes, and many practices will do it free or for a small fee, even for frames bought elsewhere — it's routine work and nobody will mind that you didn't buy them there. If your frame has adjustable nose pads (common on metal and titanium frames), that's where most of the fine-tuning happens.
You're also welcome to email us and we'll talk you through exactly what to ask for.
Which Varadero frame suits which face
Fit starts before adjustment — with choosing the right size. Our current range:
- Gaviota — Italian acetate, sculpted feathered temples. Best on large faces.
- Flamingo — feather-light titanium. Best on medium faces.
- Atlas — bold Italian acetate. Best on small to medium faces.
- Capri — slim round titanium. Best on small to medium faces.
If you're ordering prescription eyewear, measuring your pupillary distance accurately matters just as much as frame size. We have a printable PD ruler and calculator, and a step-by-step guide to measuring your PD at home.
How to clean your glasses without scratching them
- Rinse both sides of the lenses under lukewarm running water. This floats off grit before you touch the surface — the step almost everyone skips, and the one that prevents scratches.
- Add a single drop of plain dish soap and rub gently with your fingertips, including the nose pads and the area around the hinges.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Dry with a clean microfiber cloth.
Never clean lenses with your shirt, a tissue, a paper towel, or a napkin. All four are abrasive at the microscopic level, and the fine hazing you see on older lenses is usually the result of years of dry-wiping. Skip household glass cleaner and anything containing ammonia, bleach, or alcohol — modern anti-reflective coatings don't survive it.
Wash your microfiber cloth occasionally. A cloth that has quietly collected grit becomes sandpaper.
What actually kills frames
- Heat. A car dashboard in a Florida summer will warp acetate and lift lens coatings. Never leave eyewear in a parked car.
- One-handed removal. Pulling a frame off with one hand twists it a fraction every time. Over months, that's how a frame goes crooked. Use two hands.
- Perching on your head. The top of your skull is wider than your face, so this stretches the temples permanently.
- Lenses face-down. If you must set them on a surface, fold them and rest them on their side — never lens-first.
- Loose in a bag or pocket. Use the case. That's what it's for.
Hinge screws also loosen naturally with use. If a temple starts to feel floppy, get it tightened before it works its way out.
Adjusting to new prescription lenses
A short adaptation period is normal, particularly with a new prescription, a first pair of progressives, a change in astigmatism correction, or a noticeably different frame shape. Mild edge distortion, a slight sense of depth being "off", or a feeling that floors are tilted usually settles within a few days to about two weeks as your brain recalibrates.
What is not normal: persistent headaches, double vision, eye strain that doesn't ease after a couple of weeks, or vision that's simply blurry at the distance you need it. That usually points to a prescription or fitting issue rather than adaptation, and it's worth acting on early rather than pushing through.
Varadero prescription lenses are made to order, so they're final sale — but that never means living with a mistake. If your prescription was filled incorrectly, contact us within 10 days of delivery and we'll put it right. Stock frames and sunglasses can be returned within 10 days of delivery in original condition with the protective case. Full details are in our refund policy.
Frequently asked questions
How should glasses fit?
The frame front should sit level with your brow, your eyes should sit near the center of each lens and slightly above the midline, and most of the weight should rest on the bridge of your nose rather than behind your ears. The temples should follow the shape of your head without pinching, and the frame shouldn't slide when you look down or lift when you smile.
Can I adjust my glasses at home?
It's best not to. Acetate frames need gentle, even heat before they'll move safely and can snap if bent cold, and titanium frames are springy and need proper tools. Any local optician can adjust a frame in a few minutes, and many will do it free or for a small fee even if you bought the frame elsewhere.
Why do my glasses keep sliding down my nose?
Usually because the temples are splayed too wide or the bend behind the ear sits in the wrong place, so nothing is anchoring the frame. It's one of the quickest adjustments an optician can make. On frames with adjustable nose pads, narrowing the pads slightly also helps the frame sit higher and grip better.
How do I clean my glasses without scratching the lenses?
Rinse them under lukewarm running water first to remove grit, add a drop of dish soap, rub gently with your fingertips, rinse, then dry with a clean microfiber cloth. Never dry-wipe lenses with a shirt, tissue or paper towel, and avoid cleaners containing ammonia, bleach or alcohol, which damage anti-reflective coatings.
Why do my glasses leave red marks on my nose?
Red marks mean the weight is concentrated in too small an area — usually because the nose pads are set too narrow, the frame is too heavy for its bridge fit, or the frame has slipped low and is pinching. An optician can spread the load by adjusting the pads or the bridge angle.
Can titanium frames be adjusted?
Yes. Titanium is adjusted cold rather than with heat, but it has spring and memory, so it takes proper pliers and experience to move it accurately without over-bending. Take titanium frames to an optician rather than adjusting them by hand.
Do acetate frames loosen over time?
They can. Acetate responds to body heat and daily wear, so frames gradually relax and may start to sit lower or slide. This is normal and easily corrected — a periodic re-adjustment restores the original fit.
How long does it take to get used to a new prescription?
Most people adapt within a few days, and up to about two weeks for a large change or a first pair of progressives. Persistent headaches, double vision or blurred vision beyond that point aren't part of normal adaptation and should be checked.
How often should glasses be adjusted?
Roughly every six months, or any time they start to slide, sit crooked, or feel tight. A quick tune-up and a hinge-screw check keeps a frame comfortable and prevents the small misalignments that lead to breakages.
Jarrett Johnson is a Florida-licensed optician certified by the American Board of Opticianry and the founder of Varadero. More about Jarrett. This guide is general information about eyewear fit and care, not a substitute for an eye examination or personalized advice from your own eyecare professional.
