A broken pair of eyeglasses can put a real damper on your day. Glasses are expensive to replace and many people need them to be able to see to drive, read or just get through day-to-day activities. Though shattered lenses or snapped temples (the piece that goes behind the ear) will require professional repair or replacement, some problems can be solved at home. With an inexpensive eyeglass repair kit, you can mend minor bends and squeaks on hinges, replace loose lenses, or tighten uneven nose pads.
Instructions
things you’ll need:
Broken eyeglasses
Eyeglass repair kit
Sheet of white paper
Pair of needle-nose pliers
Piece of soft cloth (optional)
Hinges
1 Loose hinges are a common eyeglass problem.
Open the eyeglass repair kit and remove the contents. Place all kit tools and pieces on a piece of white paper so that you can easily see the tiny screws and tools available. Now identify exactly the problem with the hinge. Look for missing or loose screws, a bent frame, or bent temple pieces.
2 Remove the temple from the broken hinge(s) by unscrewing the hinge screws with the jeweler’s screwdriver (found in the repair kit). Check the metal on the ends of the frame and the temple to see if any pieces are bent or twisted out of place.
3 Wrap the bent pieces with a soft piece of cloth to protect the finish and grasp the metal firmly with the needle-nose pliers. Bracing the temple or frame with your opposite hand, slowly and carefully bend the piece back to its original form. Place the temple back into the hinge and make sure everything lines up correctly.
4 Replace any missing screws with replacements found in the repair kit. Use the jeweler’s screwdriver to tighten new or loose screws and to move the temple back and forth to test the repair. The temple should open and close smoothly, with only slight resistance, and should not wobble up or down.
5 Readjust nose pads or temple grips that may have moved during the repair. Place the material from the eyeglass repair kit back into the container. Put the glasses on and enjoy your new repair.
Lenses (Full Frames Only)
1 Lenses are expensive to replace.
Place the repair kit materials on a white sheet of paper. Use the jeweler’s screwdriver to loosen the screw adjacent to the frame of the lens. This will open the frame itself to allow the lens to fit back in.
2 Carefully replace or adjust the loose or missing lens so that it lines up with the frame. If you’re working with a lens that has fallen out completely, make sure the lens is facing the right direction. Press the frame closed with your thumb and forefinger and make sure it is aligned with the outside rim of the lens.
3 Replace or tighten the frame screw with the jeweler’s screwdriver while holding the frame shut. After placing the screw in the frame, release the frame. Use your thumb and forefinger to grasp the lens and gently move it back and forth. The lens should not move in any way.
4 Replace repair kit material. Readjust nose pads or grips to complete the repair.
Nose Pads
1 Repairs kits usually come with extra nose pads.
Place repair kits materials on a white sheet of paper to view all available pieces. Identify the exact problem with the broken nose pads. Check the pad itself, the nose pad screw, and the metal bar that attaches the pad to the frame.
2 Remove the pad from the bar using the jeweler’s screwdriver. If the bar itself is bent, wrap it in the soft cloth and grip firmly with the needle-nose pliers. Carefully bend the piece back into place and make sure that it is even with the other side.
3 Reattach the nose pad. Either use the current nose pad or a replacement. Tighten the nose pad screw with the screwdriver. If the screw was the problem, replace it with a new one from the repair kit. Make sure that you do not overtighten the screw or rebend the nose pad bar while tightening the screw.
4 Adjust any grips or pads that shifted during the repair. Replace all repair kit materials.
Tips & Warnings
-Glasses are fragile: be careful not to break other parts of the glasses while trying to repair minor problems.
-Use a glass cleaning cloth after repairs to remove smudges and fingerprints.
-If in doubt about your ability to perform the repair, do not try to fix the glasses yourself. Minor repairs are relatively inexpensive, but replacing an entire pair of glasses is a costly proposition.
-Consult any frame or lens warranties before attempting to fixes eyeglasses yourself.