The Importance and Details of Frame Fit
Picking out a new frame is often one of the more exciting parts of getting a new pair of glasses. Lenses do the heavy lifting of correcting our vision, but without anything to hold them in place they're just pieces of plastic that happen to bend light. So while certainly lenses may just be the most important part with no frame to hold them on our faces the lenses can't work for us. In this post various facial features will be discussed and I want to say plainly that no one set or type of feature on someone's face is better than any other, only how they matter in finding a frame for them that actually fits.
Have you ever picked out a pair of glasses that at first felt good and looked good and a month down the road even after adjustments you're still dealing with them sliding down or hitting your cheeks? Yeah, me too. Even with being an optician and understanding frame fit I've missed the mark on my own fit. That plastic frame was really cute and it appeared to fit my nose well. But it sat much closer to my face than I was used to and despite loving the look of them my visual and physical comfort was not the same as it was in my lighter metal frames I've been used to wearing for years.
As such most of us will develop some preferences for the way frames sit on our faces based on our experiences and most of that usually revolves around bridge fit as it is the primary contact point of glasses on the face. Metal nose pad arms vs. plastic bridges, which can be saddle or keyhole style. A plastic bridge that doesn't align to your nose or poorly adjusted nose pads will lead to some sliding at best or due to poor weight distribution painful sores at worst. It's important for a saddle bridge to make good contact with your nose across and to follow the slope and angles on the side of your bridge well. A keyhole bridge should have a gap where the flat key shape doesn't touch your nose and "perch" on the sides of your nose. It's important to look for these as acetate bridges can't truly be adjusted in a way that will change the fit unlike nose pads on adjustable pad arms. Metal nose pad arms can generally be well adjusted to fit the vast majority of people's noses. They offer more customizability than plastic with the availability of replacement pads in different materials, shapes and sizes.
Do your glasses touch your cheeks? How about when you smile? Technically, ideally, they shouldn't and Yeah this still goes back to bridge fit, but is not entirely bridge fit alone. People with features such as low bridges but also high set cheekbones, more forward projected cheekbones, or full cheeks are more likely to run into this fit issue. A low bridge will contribute to your glasses sitting closer to your cheeks. High cheekbones end up closer to the bottom edges of your glasses due to their level at the nose bridge. Forward projecting and full cheeks will be closer to your glasses regardless of your bridge height. Some people have none or a combination of these features. Frames with adjustable nose pads tend to sit further away from the face to help avoid contact with the cheeks and frames that are shallower from top to bottom can keep the bottom of the frame above the cheek.
Sizing is a little bit more obvious. The frame on my face right now is a 49-20-140. The first number, the eye size or A measurement is the width of the lens across, the second number is the bridge size or DBL(distance between lenses) and the third is the length of the temple(the side piece that sits on your ears). All of these numbers are in millimeters. You might think "Hey, that's great now I know my frame size and can find frames that fit me that way!" Unfortunately frame fit isn't fully objective. You have a range where you generally have an absolute maximum and minimum. I have worn frames from a 51 eye with a 14 bridge to a 46 eye and 22 bridge and they both fit so don't limit yourself to an exact size. Proper temple length and adjustment allows your frame to sit comfortably in place with minimal movement through out the day.
Where your eye sits within the lenses also matters for fit. Some of it is for aesthetics. Like are your eyes well positioned and does the frame look balanced on your facial features. For example, can you see your whole eyebrow through the lens? Typically not ideal as the top of the lens should bisect or fall below the eyebrow. It also matters for the lenses, especially progressives. Are you looking through the top of the frame? Well we need at least 10 millimeters above the center of your pupil to have enough space for your distance vision in progressive lenses. For those of us with higher prescriptions the closer to center your eye sits the thinner and lighter your lenses will be in every lens material.
Some people are unbothered by their glasses touching their cheeks and are fine balancing an imperfect fit for style (I know I can't but I'm not the one wearing your glasses). The importance of frame fit comes down to not only your personal comfort but also the functionality of your lenses. You may have noticed when your glasses slide down your vision isn't as comfortable or clear or your progressives don't work as well. Lenses can't do their jobs for us without a good frame to hold them in place.
I have fit many people that have been surprised by the fact no one ever told them that their struggle with frames could actually be avoided with paying attention to their unique facial anatomy and careful frame selection. But then again many large opticals carry frames from large manufacturers that tend to appeal to the most common styles and not work with opticians to design frames that fit in a variety of sizes. Which is why we have really turned toward independent eyewear brands that thoughtfully design their frames for fit.
The ultimate opinion on the look is yours, but a considerate optician will guide you toward a frame that works for your style wants and fit needs with honesty when a frame is flattering style on your face but doesn't fit well. Which is what we really strive to do even before you walk in with a well curated frame selection. Because we get it, we have specific fit considerations too and nothing beats the feeling and comfort of a frame that was meant for you.
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