Although being fashionable and looking good are important, nothing is more important when dealing with frames than how they fit.

Remember the old snowflake metaphor? “People are like snowflakes…every one of us is different?” Well, you will learn this is true when you start fitting eyeglasses!

Frames either fit, or they do not.

You cannot make a frame designed for a child fit a grown man. Frames come in a wide variety of sizes. Each manufacturer’s different lines will cater to different sizes. Large frame manufacturers will often offer each frame in three sizes, such as 49, 51, and 53. Smaller frame companies and specialty frame makers usually offer their frames in just one size.

Men, Women, Unisex: 2023 and beyond The World Is Changing

Gender neutrality, non-binary… Gender and sexual identity is a hot-button topic these days. Be careful when using terms of gender identity.

There are tell-tale signs which make a frame appear more or less masculine or feminine. And, it is good to know them – but – these days let the customer lead you to what they want to see and hear rather than making any assumptions.

My understanding is that more stores are arranging frames by brand over gender these days.

However we may be asked if the frames on our board are divided by gender, which leads to thinking about what makes a men’s frame different from a women’s frame.

To spot a traditional men’s frame, look for features like a cross bar over the bridge, traditional gold and silver plating, aviator shapes, sharp angular shapes, and very large eye sizes.

To identify a traditional women’s frame, look for pinks and bright colors, decorative stones, and especially artful details on the temples or chassis.

Everything else on the board falls into the unisex category! However even some “unisex” models seem to lend themselves towards one gender or another. Any frame with a cat-eye or accentuate upper temporal corner of the eyewire is definitely feminine.

Unisex is a silly, made up word. No guy in his right mind is going to go over to the pair you call unisex. Work on something better to say. “The traditional men’s section is to your far right, women’s are the middle four sections and the rest anyone could wear.”

Note: All the big name frame companies are adding BIG GUY series. This is excellent! Big men with big heads have had nothing to choose from that did not look like it came from 1972. Do not be shy around these guys, You are not telling them something that they don’t already know. “Hey, you are a big guy. I actually have some frames that will fit you so you don’t have those squeeze marks on the side of your head.” Helping them find a fashion forward, well fitting frame will make for a very happy customer and often a very happy wife or girlfriend. Big guy frames will run 58, 59 & 60, 60+ with temples of 150 – 160.

Beware!

BIG GUY frames will often require surfaced lenses for even the most basic single vision job order.  

Stock, single vision, uncut lenses are often too small to decenter for cutout. [More on this in finishing.]

Frame shape:
Although fairly self-explanatory, frame shapes fall in to three general categories: round, rectangle, and oval. When describing a frame or eyewire as round, it is assumed that the eyewire will be an almost perfect circle. When describing a rectangular frame or eyewire, it is assumed that the horizontal and vertical lines of the frame will be approximately 90 degrees apart from each other and that they will meet at what could best be described as a corner, not a curve. The oval category will be longer across the A than across the B and will not have any distinguishable corners or straight lines. Within the categories you will see and hear frames being labeled as “modified” or as being a variation of one shape or another.

This may seem a little silly but you will get requests for a specific shape and the big frame companies’ websites even let you search by shape.

Which leads me to mention a pet peeve of mine. DO NOT get caught up in any of the silly frame shape/face shape stuff. It simply doesn’t work. Sometimes you put a diamond on a diamond and it looks fantastic! And DO NOT get caught up in any of the “color” stuff either. A change of lighting (natural or fluorescent), a change in temperature (face flushing), a change of season (tan or no tan), a change of clothing (light colored blouse or dark) will all make any color matching worthless.

Primary Frame Fitting Considerations:
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.

1) The first thing to consider when fitting a frame to a customer’s head is the width of the frame. This means how the temples fit the sides of the customer’s head. A properly fitting frame will have its temples leave the frame front, or chassis, and go straight back, touching the person’s head just before their ear. There is simply NO EXCEPTION to this rule.

A frame that is slightly too tight or too narrow may feel quite good to the customer when they first try it on. However, it will shortly begin to give them trouble by sliding down their nose in a short period of time. A frame that is much too loose or too wide will slide down their nose immediately.

Temples should never be bent to curve around a person’s head (unless provided by the manufacturer as part of the design of the frame), and they should never angle out from the chassis to reach the ear. Temples that are bent in or out mean that the frame DOES NOT FIT. This is where frame size comes into play: Should your frame be just a little too small, and it is marked 46 – 19, then check your catalog or call the manufacturer and see if it comes in a 48 – 20. If larger size is not available, then find another frame that fits!

Temples come in three types, with the “skull” temple being the most prevalent found on 95% of all glasses. It has a temple end that bends around the back of the ear, ends approximately mid-ear and then bends in slightly towards the head, hugging the skull.

 

 

Originally these were popular for reading glasses, before progressive lenses made it unnecessary for people to take their glasses off frequently. Now, many modern designs have returned to this style of temple for fashion and are called “sport” temples. Many modern sport sunglasses also use a straight back design without any special designation. Frames designed for use under a helmet may also make use of a temple that goes straight back.

Note: One good clue that a frame is too small is when a frame has spring hinges and they are partially open when the frame is on. Spring hinges are only there to provide flex when taking the glasses on and off or when they are struck.

SPRING HINGES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FIT OR COMFORT OF A PAIR OF GLASSES!

 

 

Many temples are offered with “spring hinges” which are built into the temple end near where it meets the chassis. Placing the spring in the hinge allows it to be forced open several millimeters without damaging or bending the frame. Spring hinges are an excellent addition to a frame. However, they increase weight, they can freeze and break and they should be lubricated from time to time with a very light oil.

2) Second, we must consider how the frame fits the customer’s nose. Consider whether the frame is a plastic one with a molded solid bridge or a metal one with adjustable nose pads.

If the frame is plastic and has a solid bridge (almost all do), then the frame either fits or it does not. There is simply NO EXCEPTION to this rule. Look at the customer’s nose and see how the frame fits it. If the frame contours the nose well and has great contact across the entire bridge, then it fits. If you can see gaps or light showing between the nose and the bridge, then it does not fit and the customer must choose another frame. If the customer loves the frame, this may put you in an uncomfortable position. But remember that you are the optician and should be able to explain your reasons that the frame does not fit and the problems that will cause.

Just because a customer has a flat bridge does not mean that they will not want to wear a plastic frame. Lucky for you many companies are introducing “Asian-fit” or “Global-fit” series with plastic frames that will work for people with flat bridges.

If the frame is metal and has adjustable nose pads, be sure the pads are sitting comfortably on the nose and are not too far apart or too close together. Simply look at the pads and be sure they are touching the nose as much as possible. If they are not, you will need to adjust them.

Watch your frame manufacturers for designs that have narrow or wide bridges. Many manufacturers will develop their entire line, or one of their individual lines, for people with very wide or very narrow noses. You may find a line with consistent DBL measurements of 20, 21, and 22, and another with consistent DBL measurements of 15, 16, and 17. Keep this in mind as you learn your frame boards, so you will be able to quickly guide your customers towards great-fitting frames. It is a fine line between adjustability and a frame with a bridge that is simply too wide or too narrow.

Nose pads come in a huge variety of shapes, materials and sizes. Guard arms are provided so you can adjust the fit of the frame on the patient via the nose pads. You can change nose pad types to accommodate frame fit, but a frame that requires a lot of work to achieve a good fit is probably not the right frame to begin with.

Some plastic frames will come with nose pads. There is nothing special about these plastic frames. Treat them as you would a metal frame with nose pads.

 

Check fit of metal frames with solid bridges as you would a plastic frame.

3) Third, check that the temples are long enough to curve over the ear properly and hold the glasses in place. This is often overlooked by even the most seasoned optician. For some reason, we seem to forget to check behind the ear and see if the temples are too short. If we sell a frame with temples that are too short, and a longer version is not available from the manufacturer, then we risk remaking a pair of glasses. Many temples can be shortened but few can be lengthened. You may be able to slide a temple tip approximately 5 millimeters off the temple and maintain a normal bend, effectively creating a longer temple.

Develop the habit of performing these checks now and remember the rule of three:

One — Width

Two — Nose

Three — Temple Length

1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3