"Lighten the Burden: Finding the Right Glasses for Your Nose

[pivoxa15]

When I wear glasses, it dosen't feel right because it always feel so heavy on my nose. And the bone in my nose start lightly cracking. Does anyone else have this problem? How could you overcome this? What kind of glasses reduce this effect? I suppose light ones but anyone have any recommendations?

 

[Astronuc]

I started wearing reading glasses a year ago, and I agree that it is uncomfortable, especially if the lenses are large.

Larger contact surface decreases local stress/pressure, but to lighten the load get contoured lenses or smaller area and lighter rims.

Otherwise get a headband/hat with glasses attached.

 

[turbo]

If you don't need bifocals or progressive correction for reading/distance, get glasses with smaller, lighter frames, and pay extra for polycarbonate lenses - they are much lighter than the typical plastic lenses. They are also quite shatter-resistant, and I highly recommend them for anybody who plays sports, works with hand tools or power tools, or engages in activities that may involve flying objects/debris. For people who need bifocals or progressive correction, you may want to choose larger frames, so your optician has more "real estate" in which to fit your range of correction, and if you want lightweight glasses, go for the polycarbonate lenses. I ride a motorcycle, so all my eyeglasses/sunglasses have polycarbonate lenses - I don't want to lose an eye if a vehicle in front of me throws up a stone.

I am an ABO-certified optician, BTW.

 

[apples]

Get light-steel rimless glasses with small plastic lenses.

 

[mattmns]

Just put some medical tape on your glasses

 

[SticksandStones]

Have you considered contacts? I can see a lot better with my contact lenses than my glasses, and I don't have that problem of knowing that I have them in.

 

[pivoxa15]

Have you considered contacts? I can see a lot better with my contact lenses than my glasses, and I don't have that problem of knowing that I have them in.

I mostly wear contacts but at night after 12+ hours wearing them, it starts to become uncomfortable especially when doing a lot of studying.

I have tried wearing glasses but cheap ones that was heavy and didn't fit that well. Maybe what I need is a really good pair with small, rimless polycarbonate lenses and a thin frame. The frame probably dosen't matter too much as I am mostly concerned with the weight on my nose? I was recently diagonosed with astigamtism as well as short sightness. What could have been the reason for the astigmatism? So contacts that fix short sightness and astigmatism could be even more uncomfortable?

 

[light_bulb]

medical tape doesn't stick real well as you don't want to rip the hairs off your skin, hard to rip though

 

[Panda]

I wear "Lindberg Air" glasses. They are rim less titanium frames with polycarbonate lenses.
Not only are they so light you don't know your wearing them (Frame weight less than 3 grams) but at least three people have been surprised when I've taken them off as they had not noticed I was wearing glasses.
If you have a big budget check out http://spectechsantamonica.com/airtitanium/Air/index.html

There are some cheaper brands using similar designs and cheaper (heavier) materials.

 

[J77]

Gucci also make very light glasses - I guess it's down to your budget

 

[turbo]

I mostly wear contacts but at night after 12+ hours wearing them, it starts to become uncomfortable especially when doing a lot of studying.

I have tried wearing glasses but cheap ones that was heavy and didn't fit that well. Maybe what I need is a really good pair with small, rimless polycarbonate lenses and a thin frame. The frame probably dosen't matter too much as I am mostly concerned with the weight on my nose? I was recently diagonosed with astigamtism as well as short sightness. What could have been the reason for the astigmatism? So contacts that fix short sightness and astigmatism could be even more uncomfortable?

Astigmatism is a distortion of the optical system in your eyes that can be corrected by prescribing that a certain amount of "cylinder" be ground into your lenses. The amount of the cylinder correction and the angle that it must be applied to your lenses are things that your eye doctor must determine, so he can add them to your prescription. Talk to your eye doctor - uncorrected astigmatism may be contributing to your discomfort.

 

[scorpa]

I hate glasses, I am forever going back to the optometrist to get them bent back into place I've snapped a pair or two in half to. I think I have the lightweight frames, but they sure don't seem to strong. I do have the polycarbonate shatter resistant lenses like Turbo said and I can't even tell they are there, so that is nice. I think I'm going to break down and get some contacts this summer, it will be a lot nicer for sports and microscopes and stuff.

 

[turbo]

Scorpa, look into Flexon frames by Marchon. I have them for my main pair of glasses. If you bend them, they spring right back into shape and they are very light - they're made from a titanium alloy and they are thin and lightweight. Marchon has some attractive designs and you can get Flexon frames in lots of colors - mine are colored like tortoise-shell, and I have had these frames for over 10 years, with no sign that the color has degraded. For very active people and kids, I heartily recommend Flexon frames with polycarbonate lenses. About the only bad thing that can happen to such a pair of glasses is if the lenses are scratched.

http://www.marchon.com/htmls_2004/flexon.html

 

[scorpa]

Scorpa, look into Flexon frames by Marchon. I have them for my main pair of glasses. If you bend them, they spring right back into shape and they are very light - they're made from a titanium alloy and they are thin and lightweight. Marchon has some attractive designs and you can get Flexon frames in lots of colors - mine are colored like tortoise-shell, and I have had these frames for over 10 years, with no sign that the color has degraded. For very active people and kids, I heartily recommend Flexon frames with polycarbonate lenses. About the only bad thing that can happen to such a pair of glasses is if the lenses are scratched.

http://www.marchon.com/htmls_2004/flexon.html

Thanks turbo i'll keep those in mind for when it's time for a new pair!

 

[pivoxa15]

Otherwise get a headband/hat with glasses attached.

That is interesting. Are they on sale anywhere?

 

[Moonbear]

I hate glasses, I am forever going back to the optometrist to get them bent back into place I've snapped a pair or two in half to. I think I have the lightweight frames, but they sure don't seem to strong. I do have the polycarbonate shatter resistant lenses like Turbo said and I can't even tell they are there, so that is nice. I think I'm going to break down and get some contacts this summer, it will be a lot nicer for sports and microscopes and stuff.

I'm glad I don't have to wear glasses (yet...I'm sure age will eventually catch up with me and change that). I have enough trouble keeping sunglasses in one piece.

Polycarbonate lenses are shatter resistant...are they also scratch-proof? With my sunglasses, I drop them all the time...Zz has witnessed me trying to tighten screws for the wings on them with a fingernail, because I seem to manage to bend them in ways that the screws continuously loosen and get lost...I'll forget they're in the car and sit on them, or somehow the case for them will open in my purse and they get jumbled around and squished in there, etc. I fear the day I have to shell out money for real glasses considering how harsh I am on sunglasses.

Oh, as for microscopes, unless your eyes are really bad, a lot of people find it more comfortable to use the microscope with their glasses off. I used to always know when one particular person in the lab used the microscope because the two oculars were adjusted to the two complete opposite extremes to compensate for the difference in vision between their two eyes with glasses off. Some of that also depends on the quality of microscope. The el cheapo ones in most teaching labs probably don't have enough ability to adjust the oculars well enough to comfortably use without your glasses.

 

[turbo]

Polycarbonate lenses are not scratch-resistant, though you can ask for hard coatings that help somewhat. Although they are more shatter resistant than regular plastic lenses, they are easier to scratch. They are more appropriate for people who wear their glasses full-time or those who a careful with placing their glasses when taking them off. Folks who are careless with their glasses might be better-off with regular plastic lenses, although if you engage in sports or other activities in which you might risk any impact to your face, you should definitely go for polycarbonate lenses.

When folks came into order glasses for their kids, I would show them the Marchon Flexon frames (darned near impossible to deform by bending) and I would show them a handful of very sharp, pointed shards of a plastic lens that had failed the impact test. I sold a lot of Flexon frames with polycarbonate lenses that way, and hopefully helped protect the vision of some of those children.

 

[physics girl phd]

Here's a question, since we're on the topic of glasses.

I use plastic lenses (high density polycarbonate) due to my pretty terrible prescription. While the lens material has built in UV protection, they always say I also need to get an anti-scratch coating on them due to the material. I HATE HATE HATE the anti-glare type of coating, since if the lenses get dirty, they look green and purple. However, the only other coating offered seems to have declined in quality since I was younger. Now, after less than a year, the coating itself is getting scratched and coming off (and I've had the lenses remade a few times, but the doctor is getting sick of me and is pushing the anti-glare that I hate... telling me that IT is warranteed, but not the original non-anti-glare... although they've replace them as a "favor"). I've moved and will be getting a new optician, but are there any hints for my next pair of glasses lens-coatings?

 

[turbo]

I've moved and will be getting a new optician, but are there any hints for my next pair of glasses lens-coatings?

The newer anti-reflective coatings are very resistant to flaking, unlike the ones available years ago, and they are a good match to the lightweight polycarbonate lenses. To keep your glasses clean and glare-free, fill a spray bottle with 50:50 water:rubbing alcohol, spray them every morning and dry them with a soft cotton cloth (old T-shirts make good cleaning cloths), NOT with paper towels or tissue paper. Those paper products are made from recycled paper, and contain titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate, which are both abrasive and will scratch the coatings on your lenses. The water/alcohol solution is a great all-purpose cleaner. Some things are more soluble in one or the other, and most grime can be cleaned up with the combination. It is great for windows and mirrors, and does not leave a film like many glass cleaners. NEVER use Windex or other glass cleaners on your plastic or polycarbonate eyeglass lenses. While I worked as an optician, the only cleaning product in my lab (for polycarbonate, plastic, and glass lenses) was the rubbing alcohol/water mix.

 

[scorpa]

Oh, as for microscopes, unless your eyes are really bad, a lot of people find it more comfortable to use the microscope with their glasses off. I used to always know when one particular person in the lab used the microscope because the two oculars were adjusted to the two complete opposite extremes to compensate for the difference in vision between their two eyes with glasses off. Some of that also depends on the quality of microscope. The el cheapo ones in most teaching labs probably don't have enough ability to adjust the oculars well enough to comfortably use without your glasses.

Yeah I usually don't bother with my glasses at all when I'm using microscopes, it's just to annoying to have them on. I'm considering contacts for next year though because the program I hope to be in has a ton of microscope work involved, someone I know in the field actually recommended I ditch the glasses. But I'm not sure if that is the way to go either as I hear you can only wear them for so long in a day before they start getting dry and painful.

 

[Moonbear]

But I'm not sure if that is the way to go either as I hear you can only wear them for so long in a day before they start getting dry and painful.

Especially when working at a microscope, I think that would be a problem. There's a tendency to not blink as often while staring at things in a microscope so your eyes get dry and sore even if you're not wearing lenses of any kind, which would only be likely to be worse if you are wearing contacts. You'll either need to plan to take a lot of breaks, or keep your contact lens kit and a spare pair of glasses handy so you can take them out if they cause problems.

 

[scorpa]

Especially when working at a microscope, I think that would be a problem. There's a tendency to not blink as often while staring at things in a microscope so your eyes get dry and sore even if you're not wearing lenses of any kind, which would only be likely to be worse if you are wearing contacts. You'll either need to plan to take a lot of breaks, or keep your contact lens kit and a spare pair of glasses handy so you can take them out if they cause problems.

I will have a few 6 hour labs, some 4 hour ones and a 3 hour one next year and from what I hear there is no time to take a break in any of them, so I guess I'll just have to stick with the glasses. Sigh there is never a simple solution to anything! Good thing my eyes aren't that bad so I can probably get away with just not wearing my glasses for my labs.

 

[Danger]

I'm a little surprised that no one has suggested silicone nose pieces. I could never stand having those flex-pads touching my nose, but have had no problem since switching. I also cover the ear pieces and part of the stems with heat-shrink tubing to avoid that 'sawing' effect.

 

[pivoxa15]

What I need is a pair of glasses that somehow does not touch my nose at all.

 

[turbo]

What I need is a pair of glasses that somehow does not touch my nose at all.

The most practical thing for you to do is get the lightest lenses and frames that you can and have the glasses properly fitted to your face. Most metal-rimmed glasses come with soft nose pads these days, and you can have the optician fit others, if you prefer. Avoiding the "sore nose" problem is generally as simple as ensuring proper weight distribution, and any dispensing optician worth their salt can take care of that by making sure that the nose pads contact your nose evenly, using as much surface area as possible.

 

[jtbell]

as for microscopes, unless your eyes are really bad, a lot of people find it more comfortable to use the microscope with their glasses off. [...]

Another factor: if you have astigmatism, the generic eyepieces in telescopes, microscopes, etc. don't correct for that, so you're probably better off using your glasses with them.

In principle, it should be possible to make custom eyepieces for users with specific eyeglass prescriptions. I wonder if anybody actually does this?

 

[pivoxa15]

How about not wearing any contact lenses or glasses as often as you can? I have astigmatism of -5.0 so that is a few fair amount. So I basically cannot see anything properly but when studying it dosen't matter as much since I can just stay very close to the desk. Is it bad for the eyes if I don't wear anything for a long time during the day when I am using my eyes?

 

[pivoxa15]

The most practical thing for you to do is get the lightest lenses and frames that you can and have the glasses properly fitted to your face. Most metal-rimmed glasses come with soft nose pads these days, and you can have the optician fit others, if you prefer. Avoiding the "sore nose" problem is generally as simple as ensuring proper weight distribution, and any dispensing optician worth their salt can take care of that by making sure that the nose pads contact your nose evenly, using as much surface area as possible.

One technology on glasses these days is the (long) sides of the glasses that touch the ear, can bend towards your face due to a spring which decreases the weight resting on the nose. Much like the principle of straps on backbacks around your waist that reduces the load on your back. Are there other technologies that reduce weight on the nose apart from this and light lenses, frames and nose pads (these have existed some time ago)?

 

[turbo]

Your correction for astigmatism is significant, and by itself (although your did not give correction angles), it is enough to give you physiological problems if uncorrected. Please see an optician at the least, or perhaps an ophthalmologist. You can help yourself if you care.

 

[turbo]

One technology on glasses these days is the (long) sides of the glasses that touch the ear, can bend towards your face due to a spring which decreases the weight resting on the nose. Much like the principle of straps on backbacks around your waist that reduces the load on your back. Are there other technologies that reduce weight on the nose apart from this and light lenses, frames and nose pads (these have existed some time ago)?

A good optician can solve this as an engineering problem.

 

[pivoxa15]

turbo-1, what abou the question I raised in post 27? Is it damaging to the eyes if not wearing any corrective ware?

I'm actually trying this out at the moment and my eyes are feeling much better than before except offcourse I can't see much unless if I am very close to the object.

 

[larkspur]

turbo-1, what abou the question I raised in post 27? Is it damaging to the eyes if not wearing any corrective ware?

I'm actually trying this out at the moment and my eyes are feeling much better than before except offcourse I can't see much unless if I am very close to the object.

If you have reached visual maturity(approximately ten years of age), you can not damage your visual system by not wearing your corrective lenses.

 

[Moonbear]

In principle, it should be possible to make custom eyepieces for users with specific eyeglass prescriptions. I wonder if anybody actually does this?

Not that I know of. As Ivan has recently learned, high quality microscopes are expensive, including their lenses. Since they are never used by just one person, it would be cost-prohibitive to start having custom oculars for every user. Depending on what you're trying to do, it would likely be easier just to use a camera projecting onto a monitor, which most high-end microscopes have purchased with them anyway for capturing images for publication or sharing or image analysis, etc.

 

[pivoxa15]

If you have reached visual maturity(approximately ten years of age), you can not damage your visual system by not wearing your corrective lenses.

That's good news. But would it increase my myopia and (mild-recently diagnosed about 0.5) astigmatism even more? If so by roughly how much?

 

[turbo]

That's good news. But would it increase my myopia and (mild-recently diagnosed about 0.5) astigmatism even more? If so by roughly how much?

Not wearing your corrective lenses (if you have matured) is not a bad thing, if your eyes can compensate. It can be stressful to you (and you may not realize why) to use your eyes in low-light condition without corrective lenses. Make sure that you have plenty of light when you read, study, do crafts, etc. This ensures that your pupils are "stopped down" (small diameter) which minimizes the distortions (like astigmatism) because you will be looking through the center of your natural lenses. Ample lighting will reduce many of the defects of your eyes for this reason. If you are trying to study with dim or shielded light sources (crappy reading lights) to accommodate a roommate, you are asking for problems with fatigue and eye-strain.