Fix Loose Eyeglasses With a Rubber Band

by zimitt

276K629174

Intro: Fix Loose Eyeglasses With a Rubber Band

This is an instructable, to fix an extremely annoying problem of loose glasses.

No, its not a rubber band around the back of your head. ::-)

I like to wear vintage eyeglasses and often they will be stretched out and end up further down my nose than I'd like, often when my hands are too busy to push them back up.

A lot of the newer frames have great spring loaded hinges that will alleviate the problem. What can I say, I love the classics, and the challenge of restoring a great pair of old spectacles.

STEP 1:

Here's all you need.

Eyeglass screwdriver

Paper hole punch

A punch that will make a smaller hole

Rubber band

A pair of stretched out glasses

STEP 2:

I like to use the silicone rubber bands. They last much longer and have better spring to keep your glasses snug on your head. You can also use those silicone bracelets that are everywhere.

Punch out a dot with your paper punch and then punch a smaller hole in the centre. That's it!

Now, do it again.

STEP 3:

Remove the screws from the hinges. (Make sure you put the them in a safe place. Hard to see without your glasses.)

Stretch the washer over the hinge and put the arm back on and replace the screw.

If this does not give your enough correction, you can add another washer.

STEP 4:

I’ve added this step as an alternative for larger heavier frames. It's a longer washer which will cover more of the arm where it hits the front of the frame and therefore create a bit more shimming for the hinge.

STEP 5:

Before and after.

164 Comments

antioch 9 years ago

Even though I don't wear glasses and have no worn-out ones either I find this instructible simply awesome. It's the small and simple things that are so often the most amazing.

And I'll make sure to keep my eyes open for worn-out sunglasses from now on!

zimitt 9 years ago

Thanks, simple is my middle name. ::-)

zimitt 9 years ago

Thanks for the enthusiasm, and the vote!!

AngieAngel82 1 year ago

Omg! Thank you so much for this hack. I was really dreading having to buy a new pair of glasses when I can't afford it right now. This hack worked perfectly!

zimitt 1 year ago

You are very welcome, and thank you for making my day.

donnapenninteriors 3 years ago

Hi all. I'm so anxious to try this solution. But, oddly enough, i simply cannot budge the screws in my eyeglass hinges. I've tried all kinds of eyeglass repair screwdrivers but they won't move. Thoughts???

zimitt 3 years ago

Yes, the can be extremely tight, and chances are you will just strip the head of the screw. Unless the temple of your glasses is very wide, you should be able to slide it over the end, and up to the hinge. Add a touch of oil to help it slide. If it is very wide, you could try one of those tiny hair elastics and wrap it around a few times, but they wont last as long.

RayJN 8 years ago

I have seen people sell tiny O-rings to do the same thing, no tools needed

NatalieW48 7 years ago

I have used the small rings too and I love them but...... I only found them in full eyeglass repair kits. This will include a tiny screwdriver or two, a few pins, a cleaning cloth and exactly 2 elastic rings for 5 Dollars. And I rarely find those. If anyone knows where to buy them I would be very grateful.

Tahquitz 6 years ago

Great idea. Very clean and easy. Bravo!

Adding to my list of fix it tips as I will likely need this in the coming years.....

zimitt 6 years ago

Thank you, I'm happy to be on the list.

seanm316 7 years ago

Ok, so other than my eyeglasses I didn't have anything on the list. However, it gave me an idea. I grabbed two of my daughters rubber bands for her braces, twisted one a few times on each arm and rolled them down to the hinge. Works great and no one can tell.

evojsn 7 years ago

Just wanted to thank you, I added a bit of color matched sugru to the end of the arms. But you were my muse. So thanks

RobertB404 8 years ago

Such a great idea! Well thought out and great instructions too.

I had a simpler idea, using those "Loomi" rubber bands that kids love. Simply place one over each arm, doubling over a few times until nice and tight. Now push the tightly fitting band up the arm, and over onto the hinge area. Your glasses/sunglasses will now fit nice and snug, without the need to dismantle your glasses!

Use a matching colour band for best effect, but they are almost invisible any way when on your face.

My once-loose vintage Wayfarers now fit great!

Cheers, Bob.

fixem123 7 years ago

brilliant!! Thanks Bob

editingwrite 7 years ago

Great idea. It was too complicated for me. In the first place, I could not easily remove the little screws on the loose glasses; and before very long I decided that if the screws were so tightly secured, maybe it would be a bad idea to loosen them. And I had other problems with tools and materials.

Before very long, I realized that mankind's greatest invention--Velcro--might do the trick, at least for my plastic-frame eyeglasses. For each arm of the frame, take two narrow, short strips of Velcro, which should be either both hook or both loop, and stick one little strip to the flat edge of the arm near the lenses and the other little strip to the adjacent edge of the lense frame so that the strips overlap each other when the arms of the eyeglasses are spread open. Do the same with the other arm. The strips should be both hook or both loop so that they're not pulling each other off whenever the arms swivel.

It works. The glasses fit much more snugly now, and I didn't have to remove screws and punch holes and stuff.

You may be wondering what the game plan is if and when the little strips of Velcro slide off of the plastic. I've thought of that. I know exactly what I will do. I will stick on other little strips of Velcro to replace the ones that peel off. The job takes about a minute.

SleeD1 7 years ago

I just used your instructable and am amazed at how well it worked. I own a pair of super cute cat-eye coach glasses. The frames are a bit wider and I've tried (and failed) to tighten the ear pieces using hot water and elbow grease to bend them to shape. That "fix" never lasted more than a few days and my glasses were back to sliding down my nose. The washer idea is great! No more slippage

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