Category: Lenses and Frames

Most people pick either one pair of glasses or one set of contacts, but often find situations where they wish they had an alternative option to their main eyewear. After all, why dress your face in the same outfit every day? Just like having a few pairs of shoes for different uses, or a special purse for evenings out, having multiple pairs of eyewear can be very fun and superbly functional.

There are many reasons why owning multiple pairs of eyeglasses is beneficial. Clumsy or not, you never know what could happen that would cause you to break or lose a pair. Unlike ripping a pair of pants or losing a shoelace, not being unable to see is quite a problem! Although some eye care providers may be able to create glasses in a very short amount of time, you don’t want to be stuck either unable to see, or in an old prescription that will hurt your eyes while you wait for your new eyewear to be created.

Maybe you know in advance that you’ll need a different type of eyewear for a specific activity and want to get fit for your specialty eyewear. Eyeglass wearers need at least one pair of regular glasses, but many also have a backup pair of glasses and may opt for a pair of sunglasses, too. Contacts tend to be the go-to for sporting enthusiasts who need varied functionality for their sport, but there are also prescription options for eyewear used in watersports, winter sports, driving, outdoors, and other activities.

Other specialty types of glasses that you may need are computer glasses or specialty eyewear for work or hobbies. Those that work long hours on a computer could benefit from investing in a pair of computer glasses. These glasses aid in preventing eyestrain, as they are designed specifically for the distance at which you view a computer monitor. They can cut down on glare and blue light, too. There are many options available for safety prescription glasses for work, and your employer may cover them if you need them for your job.

Occupational lenses can be helpful for those who wear bifocals because holding your reading material out far away from your face is not exactly practical nor comfortable. For those whose hobbies include close up work, reading glasses may be helpful for magnification.

Of course, the fashion-forward will also enjoy having multiple pairs of glasses to go with different looks. It is tempting to pick up a very colorful pair of funky frames to give yourself a signature look, but you may wonder if the bold look would feel awkward in other settings, like a serious family function or job interview. If you get more than one pair, you can be more creative with one of the frames and a little more conservative with the second pair. Unless you have a certain kind of prescription, the option of contacts is also great. They’re very practical and versatile. Some contact lenses even offer color-changing ability to give your eyes a totally new look.

Just like the way different accessories make you feel fancy, professional, or casual, glasses and contacts can do the same. Check your vision benefits to see what coverage is offered for additional eyewear, or ask your eye care professional about price breaks on ordering multiple glasses and contact lenses.

Picking eyeglasses can be a difficult process of trial and error, especially if you haven’t done it many times before. The problem is that, unlike shopping for clothing where you may have a good idea of what fits you and what your favorite colors and patterns are, people can sometimes be vague on what they want for glasses (or have no idea at all). Few people know the most important factors for getting the right glasses for you: the shape of your face and which glasses will accent that shape, color and design options available to fit your preference, and features that will work best with your lifestyle.

Instead of standing in front of racks of frames and trying them on for what could be hours, consider these things first. Ask an observant friend or your eye care professional if you need help.

Which glasses will look best on you is most reliant on the shape of your face. Take a head-on look in the mirror and notice the shape of your face. Is your face taller and more arrow, or shorter and rounded? Is your face more like a diamond, or maybe a triangle shape? Is the bone structure angular, or do you have soft curves? Once you narrow that down, it’s easier to start shopping. Sometimes it helps to do an internet search and see examples of different face shapes and see which one most closely resembles you.

If your face is small, large frames will make your face look even smaller, and your features will get lost behind your glasses. If you have a larger face, small glasses will look out of proportion and make your eyes appear small. Rounded glasses soften an angular face, but a soft face can look balanced and cool with an edgy pair of angular glasses. It may take a few tries to hit on what style of glasses look good on you, but usually there are several models that will look sharp. You can narrow down your selection further once you decide on the general style that you prefer.

You can also look at trends for frame styles based on age. There’s no reason that a young person can’t wear rimless glasses, or a senior can’t wear something bright, but we tend to see trends that vary by age group. Younger people are choosing old-fashioned styles that have become popular again. Vintage styles like horn-rimmed, Wayfarer, and Clubmaster glasses have become cool unisex styles for younger people who want a classic look. Older women are making fun, youthful looks with black frames and unique, funky shapes that are creative, but still convey their professional status. Older men in particular might like frameless and very thin frames that have a mature and barely-there look.

Next, think about your personality and fashion sense. Are you the kind of person who would enjoy something bold, or do you tend to shy away from being the center of attention? Don’t be afraid to be creative with your selection if it suits you. Many frames come in patterns like plaid or animal print, or offer clear or other modern materials that will make your glasses pop.

What color will look best with your skin tone, hair, eyes, and apparel? Do you have a varied color palette for clothing, or are most of your clothes in similar colors? If you don’t plan on buying a new wardrobe, it’s a good idea to factor in your apparel as well as the overall tone of your skin and hair. Do you wear blue jeans and lots of cool greens, grays, and purples, or are you a more summery, bright yellow and orange palette? For skin tone, warmer colors would be a pink or yellow skin, whereas olive skin falls on the cooler side. Someone with rich brown hair, a more yellow skin tone, and coppery brown eyes might look strange in cool blue frames, for instance.

How dark or fair your skin is will also have an effect on your choice. Darker skin looks good with light colored glasses for a nice contrast, but fair skin looks better with a neutral tone that won’t make them look washed out. People with a medium skin tone can get a slick look with solid, bright colors.

Finally, make sure that you pick glasses that work for your lifestyle. If you’re big on adventure or you have young children who might be after your eyewear, ask about frames that are more durable and able to bend without breaking. Do you usually have to look professional, or can you be casual on a daily basis? If you’re getting one pair of glasses and not multiple pairs, you’ll need to be sure that your final pick can fit your needs and normal daily setting.

If you’re getting ready for your visit and will be picking glasses, wear an outfit that you usually wear, and do your hair and makeup in a way that’s typical for you. Ask your eye care professional for help if you want a second opinion, or get their assistance to narrow down some options. Let a professional help you create a new face!

Lenses that darken automatically when exposed to various levels of light are called photochromic or light-adaptive lenses. This technology was discovered in the 1960s, but it didn’t really catch on until the 1990s. The convenience of photochromic lenses is huge: they’re basically like getting two complete pairs of glasses—regular glasses and sunglasses—in one!

How the technology works is pretty cool. In glass photochromic lenses, silver compounds are embedded into the lens material. When exposed to varying levels of sunlight, the compounds go through a chemical change that increases their size, allowing them to block out more light. Once the bright sunlight subsides, the molecules return to their normal size. Plastic light-adaptive lenses use similar photochromic molecules to create the darkening effect. The reaction that causes the material to darken as it absorbs varying levels of light is completely reversible which is why the lenses go back to clear or only slightly tinted when the wearer is out of bright sunlight.

The only issue you may encounter with light-adaptive lenses is that the photochromic reaction depends to some extent on temperature. In very hot weather, they may not darken all the way. When you first step into the sunlight, the darkening effect happens in about a minute. Over the next several minutes, they may darken just a little more, until achieving their final darkness after about 15 minutes (which depends on the brand and material of lenses). The first reaction will be drastic and give you more than enough light protection to continue into the sun with your vision protected.

If the final darkness of regular light-adaptive lenses isn’t dark enough for what you need, photochromic sunglasses can help. Their darkness when not in the sunlight is still darker than normal glasses. For that reason, most people don’t use these as their only pair of glasses because they won’t see as well indoors. They are a great option for people like drivers, for example, who spend a large part of their time shielding their eyes from sunlight and can wear their backup glasses in low-light settings. The other reason they’re good for drivers is that most windshields block out the UV light that causes the darkening reaction. With a UV-blocking windshield, bright light coming through your windshield will not cause your lenses to darken, leaving you squinting and straining.

There are some other interesting uses of photochromic technology. One medical application involves tinting for certain shades of red. These lenses can be used for various eye conditions including macular degeneration. Of course, there are further recreational uses of adapting tints, too. Red and green shades are used to make a fashion statement, but yellow and amber tints can be used in hunting and sporting glasses to help increase contrast, especially when it is cloudy. Tints can be applied and used in adaptive lenses in just about any color. Want to see the world through rose-colored glasses? It’s possible!

Talk to your eye care professional to test a pair of light-adaptive lenses and see how they’ll help make your everyday life a little easier.

Squinting into the sun and focusing in bright light is very hard on your eyes. Eye care professionals stress the importance of sunglasses and shading your eyes to protect your vision, but many people aren’t aware of the benefits that come from polarized lenses. They’re not just for fishermen to see into the water!

When you’re not on the dock or deck of your boat, you will continue to see the benefits of polarization. Polarized lenses can help cut glares off of surfaces like the road in front of you or the hood of your vehicle. Even bright light outdoors or through windows can be mellowed with polarized lenses.

The reason that polarized lenses work is that they cut out certain waves of light. Normal light tends to go in all directions, but light that bounces off of a surface tends to “polarize” and align itself horizontally. So sunlight beating down on the water doesn’t appear as ambient light once it bounces off the water, because it hits that reflective surface and bounces up, glaring into your eyes. Polarized lenses are specially made with a vertical polarization so that they cut out that intense reflected light and let you see more of the natural light you’d see if there was no glare. Pretty cool, right? You can even experiment with glasses to see if they’re polarized by holding them out and rotating the lens to see if the glare lessens or not.

Some people may notice instances where polarized lenses are not helpful, however. Cell phone screens, LCD and GPS displays can be more difficult to read. In some cases, much brighter light is something you need to see, like in downhill skiing. A bright patch alerts the skier to ice, and polarization would make it harder to see. But most everyday skiers and snowboarders would like to ease the bright light reflecting off of the snow if they’re not in icy conditions. Other than a few rare occasions, polarized lenses can do a lot to improve your vision for many applications. Ask your eye care professional for help deciding if polarization is right for your eyewear.