A Guide to Glasses Frame Reglaze
Inspecting Your Glasses Frames For Suitability ?
You may find our guide explaining the process of and how we fit new prescription lenses to your own glasses frames, and what to look for when considering a glasses frame reglaze.
1: Ensure that the frame you wish to have reglazed with new lenses is suitable in size to house your prescription lenses.
Strong prescription and higher spherical powered prescriptions suit smaller frames in order to minimise lens thicknesses. Ensure that the frame offers enough downward space to fit all of the lens icluding reading and distance areas if you are considering multifocal (Bifocal and Varifocal) lenses.
2: Brand new frames are generally suitable providing the frames you want to use are designed to hold prescription lenses. Cheap non prescription sunglass frames, instant reading glasses or glasses bought on Temu etc are generally not suitable for fitting prescription glasses because different metal and plastic qualities are used that easily fracture or snap. Ensure metal frames have glazing screws which release the front metal eye rim so that prescription lenses can be fitted by loosening the screws, fitting the lens, then re-tightening the screws. If glazing screws are not part of the frame designe then lenses cannot be fitted tightly enough and will soon fall out.
3: Older or re-used glasses frames should be carefully inspected before attempting a glasses frame reglaze.
Check for small cracks in plastics, particularly on the arms where they bend and on the eye rim. When the frame you wish to reglaze is made from metal you should inspect for any failing solder points where the arms meet the eye rims, and particularly where the nose bridge holds the two eye sides together, These are points on the frames that take a lot of strain and can fail. This isn't something you want to happen after you've paid for a new set of prescription lenses, making the glasses unwearable.
4: Rimless glasses can be reglazed, but this tends to be an expensive process. Be sure to check that a reglaze is cost effective, rather than simply buying new glasses instead.
Understanding The Mechanical Process of Fitting New Lenses
1: Firstly, we give your glasses frames a look over, ensuring suitability, looking for any signs of ware or damage to the glasses frame that may indicate a limited life span ahead or where any issues or damage may occur throughout the glazing process.
2: Removing existing prescription lenses is the most likely point of risk. Generally speaking, the frame should be in good enough shape to remove existing lenses without a problem. Metal frames will have the glazing screws holding the lenses in place carefully heated which allows careful undoing without any damage. Sometimes these screws are thread locked in place, but will be removable with care. Plastic frames can be slightly heated, allowing the lenses to be removed. Where the plastics used in the frame don't allow for heating, lenses can be broken out with a centre punch which puts less strain on the plastics when removing
3: Once the lenses are removed, the frame is set into a lens tracer connected to a computer screen. A tracer arm tracks around the inside groove of the full rim plastic or metal frame, or around the existing removed lens outer edge if the frame to be reglazed is a semi rim or rimless frame with no rim around the bottom or no frame rim (rimless). The tracer passes the information, frame eye size, frame type, lens curve and any lens adjustment instructions to the mini screen. An image of the lens shape shows on the screen and can be reversed for a lens left or right. The positioning of the lens centres, heights and widths can be seen and altered on the screen at this point before any cutting is done. This ensures your new lenses are seated in the correct positions for best vision when cut. The front male bevel or female groove can be adjusted to allow the lens to sit further forward or backward at this point and the size of the lens can be adjusted too.
4: The new prescription lens is fitted to the spinning axel on the cutting machine. This is connected to the computer image and information, and the glazing machine lowers the rotating round oversized uncut lens onto the diamond cutting wheel. This spins and the lens being cut lifts and drops on to it from its mounting axel, controlled by the computer. Glass or more commonly plastic lenses of all types are glazed like this.
5: Once the lens has been shaped in accordance with the instruction and measurements taken, it can be removed from the cutting machine, and any sharp edges can be removed with an edging machine by hand although most cutting machines take care of this process, and also polish cut lens edges automaticaly.
The cut lenses can then be clicked or screwed into the spectacle frame and checked for accuracy.
