I have problem eyes. They’re dramatic.
Getting contacts took 10+ years and even more drama. I still don’t do contacts much because they’re difficult to deal with – check out scleral contacts if you’re curious.
So, since glasses are normally my go-to, and have been since I was around 6, I have a lot of experience with everything about glasses – good and bad. There are a ton of different accessories for people with glasses, but this list is boiled down to some of the most useful, in my opinion.
All of these accessories are geared toward solving a problem many glasses-wearers experience, and making your life easier. There are several items in this list to help with one of the most annoying glasses-related issues: slipping. There are also items to help keep your glasses clean and safe, and to help you with some of the most irritating issues that pop up when you have to wear glasses while you’re driving.
If you have other suggestions for items that have helped make your life with glasses easier, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Stop glasses slipping
Slipping glasses are at least an irritant, and at worst it can actually affect your vision because the center of your prescription is no longer where it was meant to be in relation to your eyes. These eyeglass accessories help prevent slipping. There are several ways to deal with glasses that slip, so you can pick which solution best suits your needs.
Ear grips
These little accessories for glasses-wearers are perfect if you deal with your glasses slipping down your nose. If your lenses slip when you wear them to the gym and start working up a sweat, or if you just have frames that are a little too heavy for your nose to hold, these ear grips attach to the temples (the arms that go over your ears – see this diagram from the American Academy of Opthalmology for the names of all the glasses parts) and help stop your glasses from slipping down your nose.
This set of super-affordable ear grips comes with several different types of ear grips so you can try them all and choose whichever is most comfortable.
Nose pads
There are glasses that come with and without nose pads. Generally, you’ll find plastic frames without, and wireframes with nose pads. In theory, the frames that already have nose pads should slip less, but sometimes they create an additional issue – pressure.
Glasses that come with nose pads can end up leaving little indents on your nose that can be irritating or even painful, particularly if you have thicker lenses weighing your glasses down.
So after-market nose pads can be useful for frames whether they already have nose pads or not.
For frames that do not have nose pads:
You can purchase adhesive nose pads that stick to the nose area of the frames. This makes slippery plastic much less prone to slipping and more comfortable for the wearer.
For frames that already have nose pads:
If your glasses came with nose pads but you either 1) still have issues with slipping or 2) the nose pads that came with your frames are uncomfortable, you can get extra nose pads specifically made for the small, pre-existing nose pads. The extra nose pads will both help keep your glasses from slipping even more, and are usually made with a softer, more grippy material that doesn’t dig into your nose as much.
Check out this set of multiple nose pads in various sizes and materials. This set gives you options to find out what feels best, and gives you backup pairs of whatever you end up liking if you ever need to replace them.
Nerdwax
If adding pads or grips to your glasses seems like a pain, or you just don’t like the look, you can try something like Nerdwax. Catchy name, huh? It looks a bit like chapstick and you just put it directly onto the nose area of your frames to add some grip.
Keep lenses clean
CarbonKlean
Fingerprints, dust, dirt, etc. Keeping glasses clean is a constant struggle. This handy little tool quickly cleans off lenses and comes with a carrying case to keep debris off of it in between uses. It’s small enough to bring anywhere and everywhere.
Driving with glasses
If you’ve been blessed with funky eyes you might have a harder time dealing with headlights and the sun while you’re driving. Needing glasses can mean that headlights “star” out, making it harder to see details at night. And of course, the dreaded sunlight. When you wear glasses you either need prescription sunglasses (expensive), clip ons (a hassle while driving) or to get those giant sunglasses that go over your prescription glasses.
Luckily there are easier options.
Sunshade
For the sun
You can get sun visors for your car that are similar to sunglasses – polarized shade visors. That type of visor will help you deal with the sun. Simply pull it down from your normal car visor and watch the road through the transparent visor.
For headlights
There are also visors that are yellow in color and made for night driving. If you experience more difficulty seeing at night when you have to wear glasses, this type of visor can help. It stops the headlights from being so bright and blown out.
For both
While you could just get each type of visor separately, this particular one comes with both included so you can easily shift between the two types of visors while driving. It is also a bit longer than others and curved for optimum effectiveness.
Magnetic glasses case for the car
If you do happen to have a pair of prescription sunglasses, you’ll probably want to keep them clean and out of harm’s way when you’re not wearing them. This glasses holder for the car has a magnetic closure to easily access and close your glasses case, velvet lining to keep your lenses safe from scratches, and a shelf in the case to stop your glasses from falling out when you open it.
It attaches to your visor so you can switch out glasses quickly while driving.
