Glasses are essential items, and when they break, it is not always practical to go to an optician and get a replacement that same day. Most opticians will take at least a week to 10 days to create the new glasses, and in the meantime, you need to manage your broken glasses as best you can. In most cases, the broken part of the glasses is usually the frame. Fixing the plastic or metal surround for the glasses doesn’t have to involve a sticking plaster across the nosepiece, or along the arms. In fact, fixing the frame can be relatively easy.
The most common part of glasses frames to be broken is the arm. This piece, which includes the hinge, is used regularly, every time you fold or open up your glasses. Wear and tear is more likely to affect the hinge part, but arms can also become twisted or bent, and might need to be re-set back into place. Repairing bent frames is easy. For frames which are mostly metal, these can be pulled back into shape using pliers. Don’t pull them too hard, as the frame can break, but instead gently move it into position. Plastic frames need to be warmed up by holding them over a steaming kettle, and then bent back to their original shape. As long as they are malleable, plastic frames can be fixed easily.
Repairing the hinge of your glasses can be slightly more complicated. There are two major causes of hinge problems, the first and most common being the loss of a screw, and the second being metal fatigue. Most frame hinges are held in place with a tiny screw only a few millimetres across. The screw can work itself loose, and then fall onto the floor and be lost. However, it is possible to buy replacement screws. You will need a very small screwdriver too. If you cannot find a replacement screw, then a small piece of wire, threaded through the hinge, will work until you can get a replacement. Broken hinges can be fixed using glue, as long as you don’t mind one arm being permanently open.
Glue can also help you to repair other parts of the glasses, such as the nose piece (bridge), or the earpiece in front of the hinge. These are rarely broken, but might be snapped if you accidently sit on your glasses, for example. What you will need to do, particularly in the case of earpieces, is to take a small cocktail stick and apply glue to it. Glue along the line of the earpiece or bridge, and then push the cocktail stick into the glue, so that it binds both sides of the break together. You may need to hold the stick in place for several minutes, and then you can cut off the parts that overlap the glass, or would prevent the hinge from folding. The glasses will need to be left to dry for several hours, but once the glue has solidified, your frames should hold until you can get a new set of glasses from your optician.
