Being able to fit a frame is a basic and crucial skill every optician should possess. Dispensing expert Leona Meditz suggests asking optical candidates to list five aspects of a good frame fit to test their technical know-how. Here are some answers an experienced optician might give:

• The top of the frame shouldn't sit above the brow.
• If the space between the side of the face and the temple is more than the thickness of one index finger, the frame is too large.
• The eye should center in the frame.
• The nosepads should rest flat on the nose, about halfway between the corner of the eye and the bridge bone. The frame should never rock on the nose.
• Looking from the side, the frame should tilt toward the cheek about 20°.
• The frame should never rest on the cheeks. If the frame can't have 20° pantoscopic tilt without sitting on the cheek, the bridge is too wide or the frame is too deep.
• The temple should break slightly behind the top of the ear at a 45° angle.
• The temple should sit perpendicularly on the face. If it tilts up, the frame will slip. If the temple tilts down, the bridge will press heavily on the nose.
• The frame shouldn't sit more than 12 mm away from the eye. If it does, any prescription stronger than 6 diopters will need to be adjusted.
• The patient's eyelashes should never touch the back of the lenses. If they do, don't increase the base curve – choose smaller bridge sizes.