Glasses are usually a high-cost item and we are usually looking for an alternative source. Did you know that three out of four of us require vision correction to some degree? That’s right three out of four. I’m one of the three. I’ve worn glasses since I was in the sixth grade. I remember my first pair. Solid black oval frames. Boy did I look like a nerd!!
I guess that when you factor in that many people are born with poor vision and factor in the effects of age and the increased time we spend sitting in front of not only computer screens but also those little ones in most everyone’s pockets. It’s understandable that this is a viable number.
What is 20/20 Vision?
20/20 vision ensures we can spot stop signs and road signs when we drive. It also enables us to see our loved ones from across a crowded room. Although eyeglasses are ancient in their origins. In many ways, they are more popular than ever. We owe that to high profile designers like Calvin Klein, Sofia Loren, Jones New York, and Liz Claiborne. Even the little ones don’t mind the nerd factor now that Harry Potter has made the scene.
How Do I Know How To Pick The Right Glasses For My Face?
Choose Eyeglasses That Complement Your Face Shape: Is your face oval, triangular, square, round, or heart-shaped? With so many choices, you must know what works best for you so you can really bring out your own unique facial features.
- Oval is considered the universal face shape — most will work for you so have fun with the latest styles and trends.
- Triangular faces happen to be widest on the bottom, narrowest on top, therefore, you want to find a mirror-opposite frame: one that is bold on top and somewhat light on the bottom.
- Square faces have bold, angular features that cut a clean, straight line from the forehead to the jaw. Consequently, they look best in rounded, thinner frames.
- Round faces are all soft curves, smooth lines a face that is roughly the same width from the jaw up to the brow. They look fantastic in bold, angular glasses with clean lines.
- Heart-shaped faces are widest at the brow, they narrow down through the chin. They look beautiful in winged-out frames that extend out slightly wider than the forehead with rounded bases to balance and complement their sweetheart features.
What is Your Glasses Style?
Pick A Frame That Fits Your Personal Style. There are so many great styles to choose from it could be hard to choose the right pair. But you want to try to match your glasses to what best suits who you are. You want to choose glasses that best suit your lifestyle and personality.
Are you in the Business world?
For businessmen and women, appearance matters a lot! It plays a huge role in instilling trust and confidence in colleagues and clients. So, the best option is to opt for glasses with a classic shape, such as ovals, almonds, or rectangles, with traditional colors like silver, gold, black, or brown. Black, silver, and burgundy are good selections for women, whereas, gunmetal, brown and espresso are best for men.
Maybe You Are a Student
Grade School, High School or College you want to let your personality show. Let everyone know who you are. Gone are the days when you were called four eyes because of your glasses. Today glasses make a fashion statement as well as help you see better. Go ahead choose those bright colors and larger frames let them bring light to your personality. Some students, including my beautiful granddaughter, may feel interested in a geeky or retro look, so they go for modern square frames with different colors. Whatever you choose be sure to let your personality shine!
The Modern Senior or Hip Baby Boomer
We all want to look young these days, so the best option is to go for frame shapes that lift the face, soft cat-eye shapes for women and upswept rectangles for men. Certain colors make you look younger. Darker colors, burgundy, deep browns, and gunmetal are perfect for men, the shinier and lighter colors are great for women. When choosing eyeglasses to keep in mind your complexion and hair color.
What are Busy Moms and Dads to Do?
When do busy parents ever get the time to worry about great eyeglasses. Between packing school lunches, work, running kids to soccer, dance, play dates, babysitters and the million other things they do there is hardly time to worry about designer frames. However, a basic yet stylish pair of glasses would work best for them. Since moms and dads usually opt for shapes that are functional, ovals and upswept rectangles are the great options. Just keep in mind that the color you choose matches our complexion and hair color. As well as bring light to your beautiful or handsome face.
What about Lenses? Do I Really Need a PolyWolyCarbonatedRefractorated Lens?
Okay, now that we have gone through the process of determining what kind of frame we need now we have to decide on the lens and the add-ons for the lens. You need to be careful here because the add-on can add up and they can do that quickly. Sometimes they are included but not always. For an explanation of the different types of lenses read on.
Single Vision Lenses
- Single Vision these lenses are the standard On these glasses you have only one viewing area. The entire lens and the correctional area can be for all 3 site issues: far distance, mid-distance or reading.
Far distance– If you wear glasses all day, but don’t have bifocals or mostly need these glasses to see things in the distance. Mid-distance– If Mid-distance you need these glasses for working on the computer or something else at arm’s length or you are a musician and need these glasses for reading music. Reading– If you need to read things
Bifocal Lenses with a Line
A bifocal lens has a lens with two points of focus. A small portion of the lens, at the lower part of the glass, is reserved for the near-sited vision correction. The remainder of the lens is for distance correction.
As a result, when looking at an item at a distance you look up and through the distance portion of the lens. Consequently, when focusing on points close at hand, usually no more than 18 inches you will use the bifocal segment of the lens.
Progressive Lenses with No-Line
Progressive lenses are the closest to natural vision is that you can get in a pair of prescription eyeglasses. Rather, progressives provide a smooth transition from a distance to intermediate to near, with all the in-between corrections included as well. There is a constant graduation of the prescription. What does that mean? Well, you can look up to see in the distance, you can look ahead to see your computer in the mid zone and if you drop your gaze down you can read and do any fine work comfortably.
Various Coatings
Anti-Scratch Coating (Free)
A valuable free coating added to lens to make them more durable it the Anti-Scratch coating. The purpose is to prevent minor scratches that can easily happen to a regular lens. These minor scratches can not only damage the surface of the lens but impair vision. An anti-scratch coating acts as a protective layer, making the lenses more durable.
UV Coating
A UV Coating on your lens works much as sunscreen works on your body. It is an invisible dye that blocks ultraviolet rays from harming your eyes like the sunscreen keeps the
Anti-reflective coating for driving & Sport
As light encounters, a lens three things happen. Some of the light passes through the lens, this is called refraction, some is absorbed and converted into heat energy, the rest bounces off. Glare is created when light bounces off the lens. Glare or reflections can be annoying and in some severe cases can decrease the ability to see clearly. An anti-reflective coating or AR coating is applied to improve the vision through the lenses and the overall appearance of the glasses. Again for my two cents, I think this is worth its add-on. Look at the picture below which one do you think has the better view of what is happening.
Well, I am sure I have not covered all the bases on buying your new glasses but I have given you a good start on what to think about. You can get your questions answered HERE and you can find some great prices on your next pair of glasses.
