Most sunglasses complaints are fit complaints wearing a different disguise. Slipping, pinching, lens contact with eyelashes, and gaps that let light in are all sizing issues, and several are adjustable on frames you already own.
- 1
Measure frame width against your face
The frame should be roughly as wide as your face at the temples, with the lens edges sitting just inside or level with the outer edge of your face. Too narrow pinches; too wide slides. Manufacturer measurements are usually printed inside the temple arm as three numbers: lens width, bridge width, and temple length.
- 2
Understand base curve
Base curve describes how much a lens wraps. Base 6 is mild and suits everyday frames; base 8 is a steep sport wrap that hugs the face and blocks peripheral light. A steeper wrap gives better coverage and is harder to fit with a prescription and less comfortable for some face shapes.
Prescription optionsWhy base curve limits Rx framesRead Guide → - 3
Adjust the nose pads first
On frames with metal nose pad arms, gently squeezing them together raises the lens and tightens the grip; spreading them lowers and loosens. This one adjustment fixes slipping, lenses touching cheeks, and eyelashes brushing the lens — three of the most common complaints.
- 4
Adjust temple arms with heat, carefully
Acetate temple arms can be warmed gently and bent to hook better behind the ear. This is best done by an optician, since overheating warps the frame permanently. Never use boiling water or a heat gun at home on frames you care about.
- 5
Diagnose by symptom
Sliding down the nose means the bridge is too wide or the pads too open. Pressure behind the ears means the frame is too narrow. Light leaking in at the sides means the base curve is too flat for your face. Lenses touching eyelashes means the pads are set too low.
Fit and face shapeChoosing the right frame shape to start withRead Guide → - 6
When the answer is a different design
If nothing fits because your head is wide, narrow, or you wear a hat constantly, a cord-arm design sidesteps the whole problem by making fit adjustable rather than fixed. That is a genuine solution rather than a workaround for people at the edges of standard sizing.
Armless designsWhy removing arms fixes fit problemsRead Guide →
Fit Problems and Fixes
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slides down the nose | Bridge too wide, pads open | Squeeze nose pads together |
| Pressure behind the ears | Frame too narrow | Wider frame or adjustable temples |
| Light leaks at the sides | Base curve too flat | Steeper wrap, base 8 |
| Eyelashes touch the lens | Pads set too low | Raise the pads |
| Lenses rest on cheeks | Frame too tall or pads low | Smaller lens height |
| Nothing fits | Head outside standard sizing | Cord-arm or adjustable design |