ABO NOCE Basic Opticianry Frame Adjustment Techniques by Material 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient's monel frame develops a green discoloration where it contacts the skin after adjustment. This is most likely caused by:
- Overheating the frame during adjustment, oxidizing the nickel
- The frame's nickel content reacting with skin perspiration (Correct answer)
- Incorrect nose pad positioning after adjustment
- Using the wrong pliers, which scratched the metal coating
Correct answer: The frame's nickel content reacting with skin perspiration
Monel contains nickel which reacts with skin acids and perspiration, producing a greenish oxidation; some patients also experience nickel allergy symptoms.
Question 2: When adjusting a rimless (drill mount) frame, extra caution is required because:
- The lenses are more susceptible to cracking at the drill holes when stressed (Correct answer)
- Rimless frames cannot be adjusted and must be reordered
- The temples must be heated before any adjustment
- Rimless lenses require a special heating solution before bending
Correct answer: The lenses are more susceptible to cracking at the drill holes when stressed
Drill-mounted rimless lenses bear stress directly at the drill holes, so aggressive or improper adjustments can crack the lens at those points.
Question 3: An optician is adjusting the pantoscopic tilt of a zyl frame. Which tool is most commonly used to make this adjustment?
- Lens clock
- Angling pliers after softening the frame in a frame warmer (Correct answer)
- Pupillometer
- Pad-arm pliers applied to the nose bridge
Correct answer: Angling pliers after softening the frame in a frame warmer
Pantoscopic tilt on a plastic frame is set by warming the frame in a frame warmer and then using angling pliers to rotate the lens/eye wire relative to the temple.
Question 4: Which frame material is most at risk for becoming brittle and cracking if adjusted repeatedly without adequate heat?
- Titanium
- Zyl (cellulose acetate) (Correct answer)
- Stainless steel
- Beta-titanium
Correct answer: Zyl (cellulose acetate)
Zyl (cellulose acetate) loses plasticizers over time and can become brittle; repeated cold bending accelerates stress fractures, making proper heating essential for each adjustment.
Question 5: A patient complains that their plastic frame feels tight across the temples after a proper adjustment session. The BEST next step is to:
- Advise the patient the tightness is normal and will not resolve
- Re-warm the temples and use temple-spreading pliers to open them slightly (Correct answer)
- Replace the temples with longer ones
- Sand the inside of the temples to widen them
Correct answer: Re-warm the temples and use temple-spreading pliers to open them slightly
Re-warming acetate or plastic temples allows them to be spread slightly with temple-spreading pliers to reduce lateral pressure on the patient's head.
Question 6: The term 'skull temple' refers to a temple style that:
- Wraps tightly behind the ear with a sharp bend close to the skull (Correct answer)
- Extends straight back with no bend, used mainly for children
- Has a spring hinge built into the end piece
- Is made exclusively from titanium for lightweight comfort
Correct answer: Wraps tightly behind the ear with a sharp bend close to the skull
A skull temple has a sharply angled bend that curves closely behind the ear and along the skull, providing secure retention without extending down onto the ear.
Question 7: When adjusting a stainless steel frame that has been coated with a colored epoxy finish, the optician must be careful to:
- Heat the frame to 350°F to soften the coating before bending
- Avoid using abrasive tools or excessive bending that could crack or peel the coating (Correct answer)
- Submerge the frame in acetone to remove the coating before adjusting
- Always replace the frame rather than adjusting it
Correct answer: Avoid using abrasive tools or excessive bending that could crack or peel the coating
Epoxy or painted coatings on metal frames are vulnerable to cracking if bent too sharply or abraded by tools, leaving unsightly bare metal exposed.
ABO NOCE Basic Opticianry Frame Adjustment Techniques by Material 3
A patient's monel frame develops a green discoloration where it contacts the skin after adjustment.
This is most likely caused by: