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How To Fix A Popped Glasses Lens - Ultimate Guide

As terrible as you feel, a popped lens doesn’t have to be a tragedy. Such things happen, and it’s usually because the mechanism that holds the lens in place loosens. The good news is that most lenses are relatively easy to pop back in.

There are, of course, frame models that make the placement a bit more complicated. But we’re going to walk you through all your options, just so you’ll be prepared for any situation.

 

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Do you have metal frames on your sunglasses?

Typically, metal frames rely on screws to stay tight around the lenses. If a lens popped out of such a frame, it could be because the screw holding it in place either got loosen or fell off and you’ve already lost it.

You’ll need to put the lens back in place and decide the best way to secure it. Even if you still have the screw, you should make sure that it isn’t damaged. Sometimes, the screw thread is deteriorated and even though you tighten the screw, it will loosen back sooner than it should.

That’s why it’s best if you get yourself an eyeglass repair kit. Those come with a small-sized screwdriver, ideal for working on your sunglasses with it. And also include a selection on frame screws in different sizes.

With one of these kits by your hand, you have everything it takes to put the lens back and make sure it stays there, using a quality screw for the frame. After all, the only thing left will be to hold the lens inside the frame’s groove with one hand and tighten the frame, from the new screw, with the other hand.

 

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Do you have plastic frames on your sunglasses?

Plastic frames are a bit trickier to handle and more susceptible to deterioration if you don’t know what you’re doing. They have no screws whatsoever, so the only way to put them back is to pop the lens back in the frame.

That’s easier said than done, because you need to get just the right pressure, for the lens to get back into the groove of the frame. If you put too much pressure, you risk breaking the lens or cracking the frame. Clearly, you don’t want any of these to happen.

So, to play it a bit on the safe side, you could get the edge of making the frame just a tad more flexible. After you carefully inspect it and you make sure it’s in good condition, you need to warm it up. You can do it with hot water or hot air (like running a hairdryer on it), and it should get really hot, though not as much as for you to not be able to touch it.

Yet another helpful trick is to take it gradually, and push the lens from its bottom first. Instead of applying pressure right in its center, apply at the base, to make that part fit the frame first, and continue with the top.

 

How about the design? Full or semi-rimless frames?

If you thought that plastic frames are challenging, wait until you need to fix a popped lens on a semi-rimless frame. That’s the supreme challenge! The reason is that these frames come with a combination of metal for the upper side of the frame and a thin, clear nylon strip at the bottom. Finagling that lightweight wire that holds the bottom of the lens isn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Our suggestion is to get yourself a strip of tear-proof material. Anything sized at about 0.5 x 10 inches should do the trick. If you can get your hands on a material like the one that FedEX or UPS uses for their envelopes, even better.

Now, armed with this strip, you’ll have to first position the upper side of the lens into the groove of the frame’s metal bar. Then, introduce the strip between the bottom of the lens and the clear wire. Use the strip to pull down on that wire and make more room for the lens.

Basically, you’ll get to use the strip to guide the wire into the lens’ bottom groove. Simply follow along the bottom of the lens, to fit the whole wire and when you’re done, bring the strip back at the center of the lens. Use your finger to push against the lens while you slowly take out the strip.


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