01 · VERTEX DISTANCE
Are the lenses and frame sitting too close to your face?
One of the most direct causes of cheek contact is a frame front that sits too close to the face.
Metal frames allow some control of wearing height and frame-to-face distance through the nose pads.
If the pads sit too far inward or the front is positioned close to the face, the space below the lenses decreases and the cheeks can touch the frame more easily when smiling.
02 · NOSE PAD POSITION
Are the nose pads positioned too low or too far inward?
Nose pads help determine both wearing height and how far the frame sits from the face.
A low or inward pad position can bring the frame closer, while moving the pads too far outward can create more space but may also change height or increase slipping.
The goal is stable contact with enough clearance, not simply the largest possible distance.
Adjusting nose pads changes more than height alone. Pad-arm spread, pad angle, and the surface contacting the nose can alter wearing height, vertex distance, and local pressure at the same time. When creating more cheek clearance, check that both pads still contact symmetrically and that the front has not been twisted out of alignment.
03 · PANTOSCOPIC TILT
Frame tilt can also affect cheek contact
Spectacle fronts normally sit with some tilt rather than perfectly vertical.
If the tilt does not suit the wearer and the lower front sits too close to the face, cheek clearance can decrease.
With large or deep lenses, even a small change can matter, and because tilt also affects lens position and vision it should not be changed in isolation.
04 · CHEEKBONE
If it touches only when you smile, check the cheekbones and cheeks
Some frames are clear of the face at rest but touch when the wearer smiles.
Check whether the cheeks rise and push against the lower frame.
Prominent cheekbones or fuller cheeks may simply require more clearance below the frame.
Cheek contact is easy to miss if the frame is checked only on a still face. Soft tissue over the cheeks and cheekbones moves upward and forward while smiling or speaking, so a lower rim that clears the face at rest may touch only during expression. Ask the wearer to smile and talk while noting the exact point of interference.
05 · FRAME SIZE
Is the frame simply too large for the face?
A deep lens shape or low lower rim can increase the chance of cheek contact.
Fitting can improve some cases, but an oversized frame may exceed the practical adjustment range.
In that situation, reconsidering the frame itself can be better than repeating fitting changes.
A frame being too large is not only a question of lens width. Vertical depth, lower-rim shape, and the height at which the bridge positions the frame all determine cheek clearance. Forcing extra clearance through fitting can also change lash clearance, pantoscopic tilt, and the optical position of wear, so a structurally oversized frame is often better addressed at frame selection.
SOLUTION GUIDE
Solutions at a glance
Check nose-pad position and vertex distance.
Check cheekbone and lower-rim interference.
Check pantoscopic tilt and actual wearing position.
Reconsider lens depth and overall frame size.
GLANOS FITTING CHECK
GLANOS fitting check order
- Front alignment
Make sure the frame front is not twisted. - Nose-pad fit
Check height, angle and frame-to-face distance. - Overall width
Make sure the frame sits stably at the correct face width. - Temple bend
Check that rear fitting is not pulling the front excessively toward the face.
CAUTION
Do not simply spread the nose pads because the frame touches your cheeks
Excessive pad adjustment may create more clearance but can also cause slipping or change wearing height. In higher prescriptions, vertex-distance changes can affect vision and perceived power, so check the whole fitting sequence.
GLANOS EYEWEAR
There is a reason glasses feel uncomfortable.
metal glasses · cheek contact · cheekbones · vertex distance · pantoscopic tilt · nose pads · eyewear fitting