How to Select Frames for Your Prescription Glasses

17-10-2019

Selecting frames for your eyeglasses might seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a few easy ways to determine which frames are best for you, based on your face shape, your lifestyle and your style. 

Step #1 Find your face shape.

There are a few different ways to choose your glasses, but one popular method is to select based on your face shpe. There are 5 common face shapes (although there are some variations, depending on where you look): oval, round, square, heart and triangle. Don't know your face shape? Go to a mirror and use a dry-erase marker and trace your face on the mirror. You will see the outline and know your face shape.

For each face shape, there are frames that complement your look. Some frames can accentuate or minimize particular features, depending upon your goals. If your face is shaped like an oval (proportionate, with a more narrow forehead and chin), you are fortunate to be able to wear almost any frame. Heart-shaped faces If you have an oval-shaped face, good news, you will look amazing in most frames. A heart-shaped face will look great in frames that are a bit thicker on the top in order to balance a small chin. You can also wear frames with extra details on the bottom of the frame to create more balance.

Step #2 Choose complementary colors (or go bold!)

The next step in determining how to select frames is to decide if you want complementary colors that blend well with your skin tone or if you want a bold contrasting look.

For a more blended look, choose black, grey and blue frames for cool-colored skin tones. Warmer frame colors like pink, red and beige will work well for warmer-colored skin tones. Havana and tortoise colored frames generally look great on everyone, as they have both warm and cool tones.

Not sure which colors are complementary? Think about the colors you wear most often. Cool tones like blue, grey and black? Or warmer tones? Your glasses can be another accessory, just like your clothes.

If you want a bold look, there are many frames with vibrant colors that will make a statement on any skin tone. Heavier black frames or red, violet and bright blue are great choices for a showstopping look.

Step #3 Evaluate your lifestyle

We all spend our time differently. Some of us work at a desk all day, others are working outside or in a labor-intensive industry. Still others spend their days inside or with children and need something comfortable and unbreakable. 

A few considerations when you think about lifestyle...

Athletes and people who work outside in active jobs should choose flexible, durable frames. Lenses are a different story, but for these jobs, choosing lenses that are more durable (starting with EverLight at For Eyes) is a good option.

People who spend most of their time in an office (at home or in a physical office) can select a frame of most materials and weights. 

For those who spend a lot of time driving, selecting slightly larger frames that have a wider lens can provide better visual range for enhanced visibility of road conditions. Additionally, those who drive often should select lenses with non-glare coating to help with night driving and poor road conditions.

Step #4 Show off who you are.

Frames are a great way to demonstrate your personality and your personal style. The most important thing to consider in choosing frames is to find something you love. Your eyeglasses often become a prominent aspect of what you show the world - they are on your face and something people see whenever they look at you.  

Historically, frames needed to be conservative for work - they mostly just disappeared or were considered something that made you look smart. Now they can be like a piece of statement jewelry. Senior excecutives wear big, bold frames or eyeglasses with a high-impact detailing. If you love conservative metal frames, fantastic. But if you want something unique, that's great as well. 

Finding the right frames is easy if you know your face shape, know which color family you love, can consider your lifestyle and your personal taste.