How to Adjust Nose Pads on Eyeglasses at Home

Fix glasses that are sitting too high or too low

Co-authored by Alexander Knezevic, MD and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: November 4, 2025 Fact Checked

So you just got a new pair of glasses, but they look a little crooked or feel uncomfortable when you wear them. A simple adjustment to the glasses' nose pads can solve your problem, and it only takes a few minutes for you to do it yourself. Keep reading for a simple step-by-step guide to positioning your nose pads so your frames fit perfectly!

How to Adjust Glasses Nose Pads

Hold your glasses frames by the bridge with one hand, then use your fingers or a pair of nose pad pliers to gently move the nose pads. Push the pads apart if they're sitting too high on your nose, or closer together if they're sitting too low. Adjust them evenly and try your glasses on after each adjustment.

1

Hold your frames by the bridge.

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You won’t risk breaking your lenses if you support your frames. Use your non-dominant hand to pinch the bridge of your glasses between the lenses. Do your best not to touch or put pressure on the lenses so you don’t break them. You’ll use your dominant hand to make your adjustments.^{[1]
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- Tip: Put a glasses cleaning cloth over the lenses to prevent smudges, just in case your hand brushes against them.

2

Move the pads with your fingers.

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You don't need tools for a minor adjustment. If you need to fix your glasses quickly, you can make small adjustments by hand. Put your thumb on the side of the pad that touches your nose and your pointer finger on the back side. Apply gentle pressure to shift the pad into your desired position.^{[2]
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- Tip: Be gentle when you’re adjusting your pads with your fingers since they’ll be easier to break.

3

Use nose pad pliers for more precise adjustment.

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Nose pad pliers come with a small gap in the jaws that helps them fit perfectly around a nose pad. To use them properly, line the gap on the pliers up with where your frames connect to the nose pad and squeeze the handles together firmly. Then, slowly and carefully push or pull the pad to adjust it to your liking.^{[3]
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4

Push the pads apart for glasses sitting too high.

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A wider space between the pads also keeps them from pinching your nose. If your nose pads sit high up and feel tight on the bridge of your nose, use your fingers or the pliers to gently move each nose pad back toward the frame arm.^{[4]
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- Tip: Only make a slight adjustment at a time! Even just moving the pad a few millimeters can make a world of difference.

5

Move the pads closer together if your glasses sit too low.

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A narrower gap prevents your glasses from sliding down. If you always have to push your glasses back up on your face because they slip off, then the nose pads are too wide. Carefully use your fingers or nose pad pliers to pull the nose pad toward the center of your frames and away from the lens.^{[5]
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- Tip: Avoid shifting the nose pads too close together, or else they could pinch your nose and be painful to wear.

6

Adjust both nose pads evenly.

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Hold your glasses up at eye level and check if the nose pads look symmetrical. If one looks further in or out than the other, take a second to bend them so the pads are in the same position on each side.^{[6]
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7

Try on your glasses after each adjustment.

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Even after a slight adjustment, your glasses may fit a lot better. Check how the frames look in a mirror and see if they feel more comfortable on your face. If you still feel like they’re not a perfect fit, take them off and make another small adjustment to the nose pads before trying them on again.^{[7]
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8

Ensure the nose pads sit flat against your nose.

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Crooked nose pads could dig into your nose and be uncomfortable. When you put your glasses on, check if the fronts of the nose pads are flush against your nose. If they look uneven or one end of the nose pad digs into your skin, take off your glasses and adjust them slightly so they fit better.^{[8]
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- Even if the nose pads are crooked and aren’t bothering you, you’ll start to feel more pressure on your nose the longer you wear them.

9

Replace the nose pads if they’re worn out.

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New nose pads will make your glasses feel more comfortable. Your nose pads will either screw or snap into your frames, so they’re easy to replace. For screw-in pads, use a small screwdriver to loosen the screw on the back of the nose pad to remove it. Then, slide the new one into place and screw it back in. For snap-on pads, ophthalmologist Alexander Knezevic, MD, suggests prying the old one out with a flathead screwdriver or butter knife, then pushing the new pad into the socket until it clicks into place.^{[9]
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Alexander Knezevic, MD
Ophthalmologist

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- Tip: Replacing your pads with wider ones can also help if your frames sit too low on your face.

10

Bend the frame arms if your glasses still slide.

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Your frames may be the culprit if your nose pads fit well. Hold the arm of your glasses just before the downward curve to support your frames. Use your other hand to gently bend the end of the arm down if your glasses slip down or up if the arm doesn’t reach around your ear.^{[10]
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- Tip: Avoid bending your glasses near the hinges since you could easily snap them.

11

Take your glasses to an optician if they still don't fit.

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If your glasses still aren’t fitting perfectly and you don’t want to risk damaging them, contact an optician and ask if they’ll make the adjustments for you. When you go in, the optician will use special tools to make sure the glasses sit evenly and comfortably on your face.

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Warnings

Be careful when adjusting the nose pads repeatedly, since it could weaken the mounts holding them in place and eventually cause them to break.

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