I've worn the same eyeglasses for at least four years now. I usually wear them about 8-12 hours per day. In the past two weeks the nose pads have been irritating the skin on my nose. The nose pads leave pinkish marks, make the skin (and eyes) feel like their burning, and leaves the skin feeling very smooth. I thought maybe it was the nose pads but I've washed them and that hasn't helped. I've also tried seeing if other glasses cause the same problem and they all do. I'm thinking that the problem isn't my glasses. My face is very sensitive to begin with. But I don't know why the problem would start now after I've been wearing glasses for years. Any thoughts? And no, I cannot wear contacts. I'm too squeamish for that.

I tried going without glasses for a week hoping the skin would heal up. The pinkish marks are still there and there's no improvement. I no longer have health insurance and I don't have a job. I can't go to the doctor about this problem. I might call the eye doctor if I can't figure this out, but I doubt they would help me over the phone.

A temporary solution that might allow you to continue wearing your glasses is to buy the little pads that stick on to the glasses. They're usually made of foam, aren't TOO noticable and will relieve the pressure.

But the problem happens even with lightweight glasses regardless of the type of frame or nosepad. :confused:

You said in your original post that the glasses irritated your eyes as well as nose. That doesn't make sense, does it? That would make me think you might have a minor infection that is irritating both your eyes and nearby skin.
If you don't get to the root of the problem, you might have to overcome your squeamishness and try contacts.

Your glasses need to be properly adjusted. If they are crooked on your face there can be pressure on the nose and also you will not see thru the glass part correctly, sometimes distorting vision a little or a lot.

It only takes a little bump of glasses to bend them just a little out of shape to cause your type problems.

I too am very sensitive to glasses, need them to be PERFECT in fit. Know they hate to see me coming to get glasses adjusted, but, that is just the way it is. If I have to wear glasses, I want them to be comfortable and do the job intended.

I am inclined to agree with KeelaC in that it sounds like an infection. The contact area between the pads and the nose is an ideal breeding ground for all kinds of infection and washing is not enough to remove it. The infection could be bacterial or fungal and it may well be below the surface of the skin. Ideally, you should have a swab taken and analysed because topical treatment might not be adequate. Your regular doctor can do that for you.