What to Do If Your Glasses Break
It’s the nightmare of every eyeglass wearer: you turn over in bed and hear the unmistakable crack of something beneath your pillow. Or perhaps your dog leaps on the counter and the house echoes with the sound of lenses shattering on the kitchen floor. Or maybe on the wrong day you thrust a hand into your bag with a little too much force and—whoops—return with a pair of badly bent frames.
Broken glasses are a drag. Even the most cautious among us are likely to wind up one day, with a pair of eyewear that have been worn down by the inevitable wear and tear of life. So what does a person do when their beloved glasses break?
Don’t panic. Although it can be frustrating to find yourself fumbling around without your glasses, there’s a number of things you can do to quickly get yourself seeing more clearly again.
What’s the damage?
Before you start lamenting about the money you’re going to have to spend on a new pair of glasses, take a second to figure out what’s wrong with your current pair. As it turns out, some issues can be resolved with items at home. If one of the arms of your glasses has come free, be sure to check the floor for missing screws. If you have an eyeglass repair kit on hand, you may be able to reinsert the screw and tighten the arm back in place. The same is true if the nose pads have fallen off. Most eyewear repair kits contain a replacement pair of pads that should be easy to screw in place.
What if it can’t be fixed?
You should never try to repair any damage yourself beyond these simple fixes. When the frame arms have broken but the lenses are still intact, some people assume they can just insert their old lenses into a pair of unbroken frames. Unfortunately, this fix doesn’t work. Lenses are placed very carefully into their frames to ensure they’re correctly positioned for your specific eyes.
If you’re tempted to keep wearing glasses with cracked frames, that won’t work either. Not only will they get in the way of you being able to see clearly, but there’s also a chance they could break further, and broken glass is the last thing you want near your eye.
That’s why we recommend going to your eye doctor immediately when your glasses break. They’ll be able to confirm your current prescription and give you all the information you need to get your hands on a new pair of glasses as soon as possible.
Always have a backup
Broken glasses is a fact of life for people that wear glasses. Howvever, there are a few things you can do to minimize the impact of broken eyewear. For starters: always make sure to keep your eyewear in a safe place, like the case they came in, and follow our guide on caring for your glasses.
Also, it doesn’t hurt to have a backup pair! Apart from giving you more options to add to your wardrobe, an extra pair of glasses is great to have around for when your glasses break. If you don’t mind wearing contacts—it also wouldn’t hurt to have a pair of those on hand.
Looking for a place to buy new contacts and eyeglasses? Eyeconic® has you covered. Be sure to connect your benefits: VSP® members can save up to $250 when they use their insurance on Eyeconic.
Savings and offers may vary depending on brand, type of lenses, and member eligibility. Limitations and restrictions may apply. Savings and offers cannot be redeemed for cash, applied to previous purchases, or combined with other discounts and coupons. Any out-of-network insurance reimbursement is at the discretion of the insurance provider. Federally funded healthcare programs may be exempt from this offer.