If you have used eye glasses for a while, you have probably encountered the dreaded situation of having them break. Maybe they fell onto a hard surface, you stepped or sat on them, a child snapped them or maybe they succumbed to wear and tear and broke in circumstances you could not explain. While observing proper eye safety basics can avoid some of these situations, many times it’s simply beyond our control. It’s often a smart idea for people who use glasses obtain a spare pair for use in situations when the main pair has fallen in the line of duty. However, glasses may still break when the extra pair is not at-hand. Here is what you need to do when your generic reading glasses, expensive prescription lenses or designer frames break.

Immediately After Your Glasses Have Broken

The first questions to ask yourself immediately your eye glasses break is “can this be fixed? if so, can I do it myself or do I need a specialist”. The extent of the damage determines whether the glasses need a quick fix or a new part, such as the frame needs to be replaced. The damage may be irreversible and in such a case you need to replace the entire pair. As such, the best thing to do in case of a significant breakage is to take the pair to an optician who should advise accordingly. Ensure that you understand the terms of your warranty in case you have one and remember to carry it along to the person from whom you bought the pair.

Glasses Quick Fixes

In case an arm from the frame has come off, it may be just a case of a missing screw. Someone dealing in eye glasses or even yourself should be able to fix that problem pretty easily. However, in case the screw is still in place and the arm has come off, you need to replace a new arm and this needs a visit to a specialist. When there are no replacements for a given arm, it can be fixed using shrink-wrap which does better than taping. While you may not be able to bend the arm, this quick fix allows you to use your glasses as you acquire new ones.

You need not worry when you the nose-pads (clear plastic ovals) come off. That is usually an easy repair which entails a quick replacement at an optician’s shop in order to avoid having the metallic frame press on your nose. In most cases, the optician may not charge for such a repair. Breakage of the upside down U part may call for soldering, in case it is made of a metal other than titanium. It is a difficult procedure and chances of the pair remaining useful for a long time are very slim. The best alternative as in other cases of severe breakages is to obtain a new pair of glasses.

More Severe Glasses Damage

There are some nasty breakages that call for immediate replacement of the glasses. For instance, when the frame breaks at the middle or on the rim which holds the lens, this damage calls for a specialist to attend to the breakage. A frame made of metal other than titanium can be soldered back together although the soldered joint remains weak and vulnerable to further breakages. A frame made of titanium or plastic calls for automatic replacement.

In most cases, when a frame breaks, you may be tempted to use the same lenses on a new frame. However, this is a bad idea because lenses are set into a frame in a particular way so that their optical centers line up with the pupil. Once a lens is cut to fit into a given replacement frame, the optical center gets altered and this may cause eye strain and poor vision. The selection of a new frame ought to be precise and in accordance with the lenses’ shape and size. However, in case your glasses are generic and are purely for authentic purposes, you may alter the frame and the lenses.

When your glasses break, you should never use super glue on your frame. When you use super glue to fix your broken glasses and you had warranty on them, the warranty becomes void. The super glue may also stick to the wrong movable parts and jam them leading to more damage and inconvenience in using the glasses.

Any time your glasses become broken or damaged and you’re not sure how to proceed, be sure to contact us at the Eye Care Center of Colorado Springs! You can contact our office by calling (719) 576-5844. If it’s something that can be fixed quickly or cheaply, we’ll help you find the best possible solution, and if you do happen to need a whole new frame or lenses, we’ve got a great selection of sports glasses, specialty frames, and designer frames to choose from!