Can You Put Varifocal Lenses in Your Existing Frames?

Finding a frame you genuinely love takes longer than most people expect. There might be one or two frames in your wardrobe that you always keep returning to, even though you have multiple options. You try on dozens of frames, second-guess your choices, and eventually choose a frame that fits well, suits you, and feels like yours. So when your prescription changes or when you have to switch to varifocal lenses, the last thing you want is to throw that frame away.

The good news is that you don’t have to do that, as you can get varifocal lens replacement service for your existing frames. If your frames are in good condition and the right shape, we can fir your varifocal lenses directly into them. That’s what Specscart’s reglaze service is all about, as it allows you to add new lenses to your existing frames.

What Reglazing Actually Means for Your Frames?

Reglazing is straightforward in principle. The optician technicians remove the existing lenses from your frame. They cut new varifocal lenses personalised to your prescription and measurements, and fit them to your glasses. Your glasses look the same as your earlier single-vision pair. The frame remains like the original without any changes to it.

Three Situations Where Reglazing Varifocal Lenses Makes Sense

People looking for varifocal reglazing services can come for different reasons. The first reason is that you already wear varifocals, but your prescription has changed, and now you don’t want to buy new frames. Your frames are still in new condition, and you simply need to change the lenses. This scenario is relatively simpler, as you already know how varifocals work. You can simply go to our reglaze page, place an order, share your prescription, and follow the next steps.

The second situation is when you’re upgrading to varifocals for the first time from your single-vision glasses. You have a frame in good condition that you don’t want to change and simply want to replace varifocal lenses in it. If the lens height of your frame is 30mm or above and the frame is in good condition, you can comfortably go with the varifocal reglazing service.

The third scenario is when you brought a frame from a designer brand, high-street optician, or from a retailer that doesn’t offer quality varifocal lenses. They might be charging inflated prices for quality varifocals, so you decided to get it done from a reliable brand like us at a reasonable price. This is also possible with our reglaze service. It allows people to have personalised premium varifocals fitted into their existing frames at a fraction of what their optician would charge.

Why Varifocal Reglazing Service Needs More Attention and Expertise?

When you are reglazing single-vision lenses, the fitting process has a reasonable margin for error. The lens has one prescription across its entire surface, so small positioning variations don't dramatically change what you experience.

Varifocal lenses are different as the prescription changes across the lens surface. The lens surface has to accommodate distance vision at the top, intermediate in the middle, and reading at the bottom. The lens has to sit in exactly the right position relative to your eyes to ensure you get a comfortable experience. Even a few millimetres here and there can ruin the entire experience as you won’t be looking through the right zone.

That’s why we take into consideration your individual measurements before reglazing your varifocal lenses. We use your pupillary distance (the measurement between the centres of your pupils) to understand the optical centre of each lens. Your fitting height tells them where your pupil sits within the frame when you're looking straight ahead, so the distance zone lands in exactly the right place. These measurements need to be taken with your specific frame in place on your face, not estimated or carried over from a previous pair.

At Specscart, we take a measurement photograph of you in your frame. It helps us calculate how your frames actually sit on your face. This ensures the lenses are cut and placed exactly based on how you see through your glasses and not a generic guide.

What Makes a Frame Suitable for Varifocal Reglazing

Most frames in reasonable condition can be reglazed with varifocal lenses, but there are a few things worth checking before you send anything in. The most important factor remains the lens height of the frame. Varifocal lenses need enough vertical space to fir in all three vision zones without compressing any of them. Your frame should have a minimum lens height of 30mm. Frame condition is also important. A varifocal lens needs to sit consistently in the same place on your face every time you wear the glasses. If the hinges are worn and the arms sag, or if the bridge has been bent and doesn't hold its shape, the lens shifts slightly each time you put the glasses on. That inconsistency ruins the benefit of personalised varifocal glasses.

Another crucial factor remains the frame type. Fullrim and halfrim frames are relatively easier to reglaze with varifocal lenses. Rimless frames require significantly more effort and manual expertise while reglazing. Because the lenses are held only by screws through the lens itself, the drilling position is critical, and there's less tolerance for adjustment. Rimless varifocal reglazing is possible, but it requires a careful assessment first. If you’re unsure whether your frames are suitable for reglazing with varifocal lenses, you can reach out to our customer support team, and they’ll be happy to help.

What Happens After You Place Your Varifocal Reglaze Order at Specscart

Once you have placed your varifocal reglaze order with us, here is what happens next:

• We send you a varifocal photo measurement guide via email. You need to follow the instructions and send us a measurement photo to us on the same email address.

• You have to send your frame to our lab. You get instructions on sending the frame right after placing the order via email.

• When your frames arrive at our glazing lab in Manchester, the optical assistants assess the quality of the frame. If the frame is in good condition, they move ahead or otherwise return the frame to you at your address. We issue a refund in that case and only charge £5 for the shipping cost.

• If the frames are in good condition, they verify your prescription, confirm the measurements, and contact you if anything needs clarification before proceeding.

• Once everything seems alright, they move to the reglazing process. They remove the old lenses from your frame and place it in a pouch to deliver them back to you with your order.

• They make your lenses from scratch based on your measurements to ensure you get the best possible experience. The lenses include anti-glare, anti-UV, anti-scratch, and impact-resistant coatings without any additional costs.

• Once the reglazing process is complete, they do a three-point quality check and pack your glasses in our box of love for delivery. It includes accessories like a vegan leather case, a microfibre cleaning cloth, a cleaning solution, and a keychain screwdriver.

Does Reglazing Affect the Quality of the Varifocal Lens?

The quality of the lens doesn’t have any impact on whether they go into a new frame or an existing one. The Innovator 4D and Innovator UHD lenses available through Specscart's reglaze service are the same lenses fitted into new frame purchases. They’re made in the same lab, to the same standard, using the same Digital RayPath technology and personalised measurements. There is no "reglaze version" of the lens. What you're getting is simply a high-quality varifocal lens, cut and fitted to the frame you already own.

The only thing that determines how well a reglazed varifocal performs is the accuracy of the measurements and the condition of the frame. Both of those are things Specscart controls carefully. If you want to understand the difference between the two lens options before choosing, the full comparison is covered in our varifocal lenses guide, which walks through both in detail.

What to Do Next

If your frames are in good condition, the right height, and you have a current prescription that includes your near addition, the process is simple. Place your order on the Specscart reglaze page, and follow the instructions for the measurement photo and sending your frames. I have clarified the entire process after that in the section above. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to our customer support team via email, chat, or call, and they’ll be happy to help.