Articles | Why do my glasses hurt my ears and what are the remedies?

When your glasses is hurting your ears, it is due to excessive pressure on them or allergy to the material. Allergic reaction to the glasses frame is more common in metal frames than plastic. Stainless steel in particular will evoke a reaction for those allergic to nickel. For most users, the pain is more commonly due to excessive pressure from the glasses temple. The pain may be at the top of your ears or at the back. As the ear is made of soft cartilage, it is sensitive to pressure. It is difficult to get the adjustment right on the first attempt as the optician needs to find a balance between getting the right grip such that the glasses do not slip and ensuring user comfort.

For most glasses, it is common to have the bend on the temple close to your ears to reduce glasses slippage. However, the bend may also squeezes the ears and cause them to hurt. Note that most glasses temple are made of hard plastics or metal. Pressure is the force over a contact area. When the contact area is small, the pressure will be higher. The force comes from the weight of the glasses. A wire frame glasses may be light but the contact area is smaller. Further, the weight of the glasses also include the lens. Therefore, the pressure may still cause pain as the weight saving from the frame is negated by the lens weight and the small contact area. Conversely, a bigger frame although heavier, may have a bigger contact area, and this may reduce the pressure. However, if the temple is too big and does not rest well on the top of the ear, it may create other sore points.

If adjusting the temples did not relieve the pain, accessories may be used. Friction sleeve from Beta-Simplicity, made of high quality soft elastomer, provides cushioning and friction. For heavy lens, the weight of the glasses may be so high that no amount of adjustment will take away the pain on the ear or to stop it from slipping. Friction sleeve may be used to cover the temple tip and this provides cushion that help to spread the force over a bigger area and thus reducing the pressure on the ears. Beta-Simplicity have also developed Vision Eyewear frames with a soft, rubberized anchor tip that reduces pressure on the ears.

Beta-Simplicity Eyewear comes with an anchor tip that is made of soft elastomer.

Unlike most other glasses frames, Eyewear Frames from Beta-Simplicity, comes with an anchor tip that is made of soft elastomer. This provides cushioning and friction that reduces pressure on the ears and offer greater grip. While there are frames with rubber or silicone coated temples in the market, most of these have the tendency to get sticky or crack after a year. The rubber coating is also relatively thin and hard thus it is not as effective as the thicker and softer Beta-Simplicity Eyewear temple tip in reducing sore ears. Beta-Simplicity Eyewear unique Anchor Tip also features a soft loop which touches the back of your ear for added support. Their elastomer material has also been shown to remain soft and non-sticky after a year of usage.

Pain to the ears are caused by pressure from the glasses. Adjustment of the temple may remove the pressure points and relieve the pain although it may cause the glasses to slip. Fitting soft sleeves over the temple will also help to reduce the pressure. Choosing a glasses frame with built-in soft temple will also prevent pain to the ears.

Jonathan
17 March 2018
Updated. 08 September 2019

 

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