Eye care guide
Glasses that actually fit: small faces, wide faces and big heads
Most frames come in a narrow range of standard sizes, so if your face is wider, narrower or shaped differently, off-the-shelf glasses pinch, slip or sit crooked. The fix is the right size, careful adjustment, or a frame made for you. We make bespoke frames by hand on Park Road, the only bespoke frame makers in Merseyside.
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- Three-year guarantee on bespoke
Signs your frames do not fit
- They slide down your nose, however often they are adjusted
- Red marks on your nose or behind your ears
- They pinch at the sides of your head, or leave a gap
- One lens sits higher than the other
- Your varifocals only work if you push them back up
The numbers on the arm
Look inside the arm of glasses that fit you well. You will usually see three numbers, such as 52-18-145: the width of each lens, the width of the bridge, and the length of the arm, all in millimetres. A wide face needs a larger first number; a low or narrow nose bridge needs the right middle number; a larger head needs longer arms. Bring your best-fitting pair and we will use it as a starting point.
When nothing off the shelf fits
A bespoke frame is designed around your measurements and cut by hand from Italian Mazzucchelli acetate in our Park Road workshop. It takes about four weeks and carries a three-year guarantee. See bespoke eyewear.
Fit and varifocals
With varifocals, fit is not only comfort. The reading and screen areas have to sit in exactly the right place, so a frame that slips makes them stop working. It is one of the usual reasons we see in varifocal problems.
Common questions
Frames that fit, answered
Why don’t glasses fit my face?
Most frames are made in a narrow range of standard sizes. If your face is wider or narrower than average, your nose bridge is low or flat, or your head is larger, standard frames slip, pinch or sit crooked, and the lenses end up in the wrong place in front of your eyes.
What do the numbers on the arm of my glasses mean?
Usually three numbers, such as 52-18-145: the width of each lens in millimetres, the width of the bridge between the lenses, and the length of the arm. Use them to compare frames that have fitted you well.
Where can I get glasses for a wide face or a big head?
Some ranges come in larger sizes, and we can adjust arm length and angle. If nothing off the shelf fits, a bespoke frame is made to your measurements. We are the only bespoke frame makers in Merseyside.
Can you make glasses for a small face?
Yes. Some frames come in smaller sizes, and a bespoke frame can be made narrower, with a bridge shaped to your nose so the frame does not slide down.
Why does fit matter more with varifocals?
A varifocal only works if the right part of the lens sits in front of your pupils. If the frame slips or sits crooked, the reading and screen areas move, and the glasses stop working properly.
How long does a bespoke frame take?
About four weeks from your first appointment to collection. Each frame is cut, shaped and polished by hand in our Park Road workshop, and carries a three-year guarantee.
Bring your hardest-to-fit face
252 Park Road, Dingle, opposite Tesco Extra, free parking. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Or call 0151 726 0622
Written by Gavin Winstanley, who has been making eyewear on Park Road since 1998 and fits the varifocals himself. Last updated .