Why do my glasses hurt my ears?

Why do glasses hurt your ears? When you put on a new pair and feel an uncomfortable pressure back there or when a pair you've been using forever starts pinching your ears like they owe you money, you could be at a loss to figure out what the problem is. Let's go over some of the reasons why your glasses might go rogue and start hurting your ears. We can also talk about how to prevent this from happening with your new glasses (aside from signing up for contact lens deliveries, that is).

Why do my glasses hurt my ears?

For most people, there are three main ways glasses hurt your ears and three main reasons why they do it. These boil down to fit, material, and messed up nose pads. Here's the rundown.

Common reasons why glasses cause pain

The ways glasses hurt your ears, nose, and temples include:

• Fit: If your glasses don't fit, they're bound to pinch and press in the wrong places. You wouldn't believe the level of engineering that goes into designing glasses to be comfortable on humans' heads all day long, and sometimes, that design goes awry. Before you okay a new pair of glasses, make sure you try them on and ask your eye care professional about alternatives if any issues come up during your eye exam.
• Temple tips: The tips are the little pointy bits at the ends of your glasses' arms. These are probably the culprits if the pain is localized on the ears or the temples. Badly shaped (again, for you) tips can stab downward into the vulnerable cartilage of the ears. They can also stop short of their proper length, ride too high on your temples, or do any other kind of mischief that eventually turns into pain after hours of wearing the frames. Again, try your new frames out before you commit to them, and don't be shy about bending adjustable tips until they feel right. 
• Nose pads: When your glasses hurt your ears, your first thought probably isn't the nose, but this can be where the problem is at. Oddly adjusted nose pads alter the angle the glasses sit at, and because of leverage, even a tiny misalignment at the nose translates into inches of difference over your ears. Before you toss your current frames and try again, you might want to fiddle with the fit of the nose pads and see if it changes the way the glasses ride.

Within these silos, you can have any one (or more) of several specific issues. Solving for these will get you some way to solve the whole problem. 

• Frame size: Your frames might just be too big or too small for you. Frames that are too small tend to grip the temples instead of the ideal spot over the ears, while too-big frames slouch past the ears and tend to apply downward pressure that will eventually hurt. There's really no fix for the wrong size glasses except getting fitted for a proper size next chance you get.
• Frame adjustments: If your glasses aren't feeling just right, the issue might be a misalignment, odd proportions, or a poor fit over the nose. Professionals can adjust these issues for you, but a lot depends on what the problem is and what kind of frames you're wearing.
• Material issues: Sometimes, the discomfort is just on the skin, rather than being a weight or pressure issue. Have you considered whether you're allergic to the frame material or temple tips? Lots of people are sensitive to latex, celluloid, and certain metals. If you've just gotten glasses that seem to be causing skin irritation, talk this one over with your eye care professional to see what's up.

Prevention: like a cure, but better

There are ways to prevent this from becoming a problem at all. Keep your glasses clean and adjusted with periodic, well, cleanings and adjustments. Also, make sure your spare frames fit as well as your primaries, so having to switch doesn't mean embracing the pain.

Making your glasses not hurt so much

So, we've seen what causes glasses to hurt your ears and temples and what usually causes it. We've gone over some ways to prevent glasses-related pain as well. If nothing is working, you might at long last have to just replace what you're wearing now. Hey, wouldn't it be cool if you had some money-saving online coupons for that?

FAQs

What can I do if my glasses have tight or loose temples? 

Try tightening the little screws holding them in. If that doesn't solve it, you can bend the tips on most frames to adjust the fit at the ears.

Can I use temporal tip covers for any type of glasses?

Never say always, but there are a lot of tip covers out there. Shop around until you find a set you like.

Is it normal to feel discomfort when I first start wearing glasses?

There's usually an adjustment period for new frames. If you're not feeling it after a week or so, call your professional about adjustments.