What adjustable nose pads are
Most frames hold themselves on the nose in one of two ways.
- A fixed bridge. The frame itself rests on the nose, usually through a moulded bridge in acetate or plastic. It cannot be changed much. It either fits your nose or it does not.
- Adjustable pads. Two separate pads, often clear silicone, sit on small metal arms called pad arms. The arms can be bent, which moves the pads, which moves the whole frame.
Adjustable pads are most common on metal frames, such as aviators, and on some sport sunglasses. You will also find them on some acetate frames, where the pad arms are set into the frame.
The three problems they fix
Sliding down the nose. A frame slides when the bridge sits on the nose at too few points or at the wrong angle, so its weight pulls it down. Moving the pads closer together sets the frame higher and spreads the grip. The full list of causes is in the guide to why glasses keep sliding down your nose.
Resting on your cheeks. If the frame sits low, the bottom rim reaches the cheeks, lifts when you smile and leaves marks. Raising the pads lifts the lens clear. The piece on glasses touching your cheeks covers why this happens to some faces more than others.
Sitting crooked. Faces are not perfectly symmetrical. If one side sits higher, adjusting one pad slightly levels the frame without bending the temples.
Who gets the most from them
People with a lower nose bridge. If your nose bridge sits lower or is flatter, a fixed bridge designed for a higher nose has very little to rest on. The frame drops onto the cheeks and slides. Adjustable pads can be brought forward and closer together to give the frame something to sit on. If you are not sure where your bridge sits, the guide do I have a low nose bridge has a mirror test, and high bridge vs low bridge explains how the two fits differ.
People between sizes. If frames tend to be slightly too wide or too narrow, pads can take up the difference at the nose.
Active wearers. Running and riding put more load on the nose. Being able to set the pads exactly helps a sport frame stay put.
Anyone wearing heavier lenses. Thicker lenses add weight, and pads spread that weight more evenly than a fixed bridge.
Adjustable pads or a low bridge fit frame?
These are two routes to the same goal, and they work well together.
| Adjustable nose pads | Low bridge fit frame | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Pads on bendable arms, moved to suit your nose | Bridge and lens angle cut for a lower nose bridge |
| Fine tuning | Yes, small changes in seconds | No, the fit is built in |
| Common materials | Metal, some acetate, sport nylon | Acetate and metal |
| Maintenance | Pads can be replaced when they wear | Nothing to replace |
| Best for | Getting a precise fit on any face | A good fit straight out of the box |
A frame with both gives you a good starting point and the means to fine tune it. The Aviator Total, a metal aviator, and the Retro Trendy, a classic metal aviator, both have adjustable nose pads and a low bridge fit. More frames cut this way are in the low bridge fit sunglasses collection.
How to adjust them, carefully
Small changes are easy. Large ones are a job for an optician.
- Check the problem first. Look straight into a mirror. Note whether the frame is too low, too high or tilted.
- To raise the frame, bring the pads closer together. Hold the frame firmly by the front, not the temples. With clean fingers, press each pad arm inward a very small amount. Try the frame on after each small move.
- To lower the frame, move the pads apart by the same small amount.
- To level a crooked frame, adjust only the pad on the side that sits low, moving it slightly inward.
- Stop if anything resists. Pad arms are thin metal. Forcing them can snap a joint or loosen a lens.
Any optical shop can adjust pads quickly, often while you wait, and replace worn pads. If you are not comfortable bending metal on your own frame, that is the better route.
Looking after nose pads
Silicone pads pick up skin oil and sunscreen, which makes them slippery and yellow over time. Wipe them with a little mild soap and water when you clean your lenses. If they turn hard, cracked or discolored, replace them; they are inexpensive, and fresh pads grip noticeably better.
Pads on arms are the single most useful feature for a wider nose, and the sunglasses for a big nose guide ranks the MUJOSH pairs by how much room the bridge gives.
Where to find them
Our adjustable nose pad glasses collection gathers the frames that have them, including metal aviators from the aviator sunglasses range. Several WAKE UP sport shields have them too, such as the Suture Jacket 1096, a polarized shield for riding in a lightweight nylon frame.
Adjustable pads are a small part with a large effect. If your frames slide, rest on your cheeks or sit crooked, they are usually the cheapest fix there is.
Adjustable pads matter most on a sports frame; see the cycling sunglasses guide for setting them for a riding position.
On a rimless frame the pads carry the whole fit; the rimless sunglasses guide explains why they matter most there.
For the hinge screw and temple adjustments that go with pad tuning, see how to tighten glasses at home.
Pads are the first fix for a wide or long nose; the glasses for a big nose guide covers the frame traits that go with them.
Sunglasses with nose pads
Sunglasses nose pads work the same way as the pads on glasses, and they matter more, because a sunglass lens is larger and heavier and the frame is worn in heat, when skin is slick. A sunglass with adjustable pads can be opened for a wide nose, closed for a narrow one and set higher or lower so the lens sits at eye height; an acetate sunglass has a moulded saddle that cannot move, so the bridge has to be right in the cut. In the MUJOSH range the pairs with adjustable nose pads are the metal frames: Aviator Total, Retro Trendy and Retro Aviator among the aviators, Maga KC on the flat top, Pearl-Accented on the rimless titanium, Lady Lang on the metal cat eye, and Retro Round in its light frame. The acetate pairs use a lower bridge cut instead, and the low bridge fit sunglasses collection lists them.
One pad bent out of line makes the whole frame sit crooked; the crooked glasses guide covers that and the other five causes.
Frequently asked questions
What are adjustable nose pads on glasses?
They are two small pads, usually silicone, mounted on thin metal pad arms. Bending the arms moves the pads, which changes how high, how far forward and how level the frame sits on your nose.
Do adjustable nose pads stop glasses from sliding?
Often, yes. Bringing the pads closer together sets the frame higher on the nose and improves the grip. If the frame is also too wide or too heavy, pads help but may not solve it on their own.
Are adjustable nose pads good for a low nose bridge?
Yes. A fixed bridge made for a higher nose has little to rest on when the bridge is lower. Adjustable pads can be moved forward and closer together to give the frame support and keep it off your cheeks.
Can I adjust nose pads myself?
Small changes, yes. Hold the frame by the front and move the pad arms a very small amount at a time, checking the fit after each move. For larger changes, or if anything feels stiff, ask an optician.
How often should nose pads be replaced?
Replace them when they turn hard, cracked, yellow or slippery. For glasses worn every day that is often once or twice a year. Any optical shop can fit new pads quickly.
