and 
WHEN BUY 3 KITS
The snap was instant. One second your glasses were fine, the next they're in two pieces in your hand. Maybe you sat on them. Maybe a child got hold of them. Maybe they just gave up after years of faithful service.
Now you're staring at broken glasses wondering: is this fixable, or do I need new frames? The answer depends entirely on where and how they broke.
The Bridge Break: Usually Game Over
If your glasses snapped at the bridge - the part connecting the two lenses across your nose - the prognosis is usually poor. This is the thinnest, most stressed point on most frames. When it goes, it goes completely.
Metal bridge breaks can sometimes be soldered by a professional, but the repair rarely holds long-term. The structural integrity is compromised. Plastic bridge breaks are almost never repairable at home. Superglue might hold for a day, maybe a week, but the stress of daily wear will defeat it.
If your bridge broke, start shopping for new frames. Sorry.
The Hinge Break: Almost Always Fixable
Here's the good news. If the break happened at or near the hinge - where the arm connects to the frame front - you're probably looking at a simple screw problem, not a catastrophic failure.
What feels like a "break" is often just complete screw loss. The arm separated from the frame because nothing was holding it together anymore. The frame itself is fine. The arm is fine. You just need to reconnect them.
A SnapItScrew Eyeglass Repair Kit handles this in about 60 seconds. The kit includes five screw sizes covering virtually all frames, plus the screwdriver to install them. Push the screw through, tighten, snap off the feeder tab, done.
The Arm Snap: It Depends Where
If an arm snapped somewhere along its length - not at the hinge - the repairability depends on exactly where.
Breaks near the hinge end can sometimes be saved if enough material remains to accept a screw. You might need to drill a new hole or use a slightly larger screw, but it's worth attempting before giving up.
Breaks in the middle of the arm or near the earpiece are harder. There's no screw solution because there's no hinge mechanism involved. Some people successfully use epoxy or frame repair adhesives, but these are temporary fixes at best.
The Lens Pop-Out: Easiest Fix Ever
Sometimes what looks like breakage is just a lens that's popped out of the frame. This happens when the frame loosens over time, or after an impact that flexed the frame without actually breaking it.
For full-rim frames, you can usually pop the lens back in by gently flexing the frame and pressing the lens into place. Check that the retaining screw (often at the edge of the lens opening) is tight using your SnapItScrew kit.
Rimless and semi-rimless frames need more care - the lens mounting points are delicate. But even these are often fixable with patience and the right tiny screw.
The Honest Cost-Benefit Analysis
Before attempting any repair, ask yourself these questions:
How old are the frames? Glasses over three to four years old have experienced significant material fatigue. Even if you fix this break, another failure may be imminent. Newer frames are worth more repair effort.
How expensive were they? Designer frames costing hundreds of pounds deserve professional repair attempts. Budget frames under £50 might not justify professional repair costs - but a £5.99 DIY kit is always worth trying first.
Do you have a backup pair? If these are your only glasses and they're badly damaged, prioritise getting functional vision first. Order new frames, then experiment with repairing these as a backup.
Is the prescription still current? If you're due for an eye test anyway, a frame break might be the universe telling you it's time for new glasses with an updated prescription.
When DIY Works (And When It Doesn't)
DIY repair works brilliantly for: loose screws, missing screws, stripped screws (the SnapItScrew kit includes replacements), minor hinge problems, and lens retention issues.
DIY repair struggles with: bridge breaks, mid-arm breaks, damaged lens mounting points, cracked frame material, and broken spring hinges.
Professional repair might be worth it for: valuable designer frames with repairable damage, sentimental frames worth preserving, and situations where the damage is beyond DIY but the frames are worth saving.
The Emergency Temporary Fix
If you absolutely need functional glasses while you figure out a permanent solution, here are some temporary measures:
For separated hinges, a SnapItScrew provides an immediate permanent fix - not temporary at all.
For bridge breaks, some people use small cable ties or even wrapped tape as an emergency measure. It looks terrible but can get you through a day or two.
For arm breaks, a folded piece of card or popsicle stick splinted with tape can stabilise the arm temporarily. Again, purely emergency.
The Bottom Line
Not every broken pair of glasses is destined for the bin. Hinge-related breaks are almost always fixable at home in 60 seconds. Bridge breaks usually aren't. Arm breaks depend on location.
Before you panic-buy replacements, check whether a simple screw replacement could solve your problem. Keep a SnapItScrew kit handy for exactly these moments - it handles the fixable breaks instantly, and helps you identify the unfixable ones faster.
You CAN fix this yourself, if it's fixable at all. And now you know how to tell the difference.
