Print PDF
Favorite
Email
I was sitting on the sofa reading and my right lens suddenly dropped onto my lap without warning. The monofilament (fishing) line broke from several years of normal wear. I was very thankful this did not happen while I was doing quite a number of other things I normally do, like riding my bike on a country road.
It was the weekend and my optometrist's office was closed. I am a pastor and had to lead the worship service on Sunday without my glasses. There is a lot of reading involved. I got by with a pair of reading glasses, but everything more than fifteen feet away was a big blur.
I searched the Internet for eyeglass repair. There was nothing about replacing a broken monofilament lens retainer.
It was the weekend and my optometrist's office was closed. I am a pastor and had to lead the worship service on Sunday without my glasses. There is a lot of reading involved. I got by with a pair of reading glasses, but everything more than fifteen feet away was a big blur.
I searched the Internet for eyeglass repair. There was nothing about replacing a broken monofilament lens retainer.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Anatomy of an eyeglass frame
The parts of an eyeglass frame where the monofilament line attaches to hold the lens are very small. The colors of the frame and of the line blend into one another much more than shown in this drawing, especially when you are looking at them without your regular glasses.
The left portion of the drawing shows the end of the frame if the glasses are upside down on a countertop as in my first photo and you are viewing the frame from the side where the bows attach. There are two small holes near the end of the frame. The monofilament line loops through these holes. The 90 degree bends the line must make keep the line from slipping when the lenses are in place. The graphic in the next step will give you a clearer picture of how that works.
The right portion of the drawing shows a cross section of the metal in the frame and the channel on the inside of the frame where it contacts the lens and supports it. The gray circle is a cross section of some monofilament line permanently embedded in the frame. There is a corresponding groove around the circumference of the lens and that groove fits over the embedded monofilament line to keep your lens in place where the frame goes around the lens.
The left portion of the drawing shows the end of the frame if the glasses are upside down on a countertop as in my first photo and you are viewing the frame from the side where the bows attach. There are two small holes near the end of the frame. The monofilament line loops through these holes. The 90 degree bends the line must make keep the line from slipping when the lenses are in place. The graphic in the next step will give you a clearer picture of how that works.
The right portion of the drawing shows a cross section of the metal in the frame and the channel on the inside of the frame where it contacts the lens and supports it. The gray circle is a cross section of some monofilament line permanently embedded in the frame. There is a corresponding groove around the circumference of the lens and that groove fits over the embedded monofilament line to keep your lens in place where the frame goes around the lens.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I had bought them at walmart eye clinic. I took them in, and they fixed them while I waited. I had no idea the lens was held in place by monofilament before that happened. Your instructable will come in handy one day.
On mine, one end looked just like yours, and the line went in and out and tucked under the lens. On the other side, though, the line just went into a hole and stopped. It wasn't clear how this line stayed in place. I pulled the fishing line through this hole, then heated the end with a lighter and tapped it against the desk to flare the end. That seemed to hold just fine while I tensioned the other end as described.
When you have first threaded the line through to size it up for length, place the lens in the frame (and the line into the groove along the lens' edge). Now, pull the line as tight as you can within reason. You should be beginning to actually stretch the line a tiny, tiny bit. While keeping the tension, pull the line at a sharp angle so that it makes a slight kink in the line.
Release the tension and remove the lens. The kink should still be visible and can now serve as a marker. When you insert the line through the second hole to secure it, feed the kink through that second hole a few millimeters so that it just comes out on the inside of the frame. This will ensure that the hold will be slightly tighter than when you were applying tension.
Now use the ribbon method mentioned earlier. All you do is put the lens back into the frame and pull the line up over one corner of the lens and into the groove. Next, take a three or four inch length of satin ribbon and loop it around the line. Use the ribbon to pull the line over the edge of the lens and the line will snap tightly into place. Afterwards the ribbon should slide right back out by pulling on one end.
One word of caution: If the line is so tight that you really have to pull excessively hard, take a step back and loosen the line. If you go crazy and make the line ridiculously tight it can chip the lens edge when you force it over. Keep in mind, you should have to use a good bit of effort to get it over, just don't go overboard.
Another little trick if it is still a little loose after all is said and done: (Leaving everything assembled as it is) Heat the line for about thirty to forty seconds with a hair dryer on high. Immediately afterwards, dip it into ice water. This will tighten it right up. As long as you live in the U.S., this will not damage the lens (they go through much harsher temperature changes during production). In Europe or Asia, however, do this at your own risk. The standards for treating glass are much different overseas. The upside is that they can get glass much thinner than we could ever dream of here. The downside- it does not take much to shatter it. Also, an optician in the U.S. would lose his license for putting a glass lens into a semi-rimless frame like this. On the other hand, it is still very common to see it done in Germany and Italy. I've also seen one done in Hong Kong in which the lens was barely wider than the line. It was a very impressive piece of craftsmanship, but I would be terrified to wear it.
Also, just so you know, most opticians should make this repair for you at no charge. They may not be thrilled about it (it is fairly time consuming for a busy practice/lab), but most will do it with a smile.
One last point- The "Sarah Palin" style frames (it is incredibly annoying that they have been so thoroughly connected to her, in reality they've been around for decades) actually don't use a groove-and-line system like this; the lenses are actually drilled through and mounted with screws. Just so you know.
Hope this helps in future dilemmas.
Your best chance is to see if the frame is still current (as far as production) and try to order a new temple or frontpiece- depending on exactly where the hinge is broken. Cost-wise it will usually set you back about 1/4 to 1/3 of the original price of the frame.
Before you do that though, make sure that it is not just a problem with the screw. I know that sounds ridiculous, but on some of the more intricate frames, people commonly assume that the hinge is broken but it turns out to only be a missing or defective screw. Best of all, that repair is free.