Choosing a suitable spectacle frame style is an integral part of the glasses journey. A lot of parents bemoan having paid out a lot of money for that teenage child who was ‘so in love’ with a particular frame, only for it to be shoved away in a drawer a few weeks later. When said parent asks why…the response is a dour, ‘they don’t suit me’.  One can only imagine the sense of frustration that engulfs the parent at this stage. However this is not an isolated matter that arises, neither is it confined to the teenage population. Up and down across the land a lot of spectacle wearers trawl optical practices trying to find themselves the perfect frame and many still feel like they are stuck in a maze. Others end up abandoning wearing spectacles altogether to use alternative methods of sight correction, they find this exercise mind boggling and it even fills them with dread and anxiety.

With clothes shopping one needs to know what suits their body shape, in the same vein when choosing frames you need to know what works best for your facial features. Once one has deduced this the maze will shrink considerably, and the spectacle wearer can confidently look at the various options open to them. Knowing what suits your face shape, skin, hair and eye colour; that is the right foundation for finding what style suits you best. Your frame choice can reflect the mood, personality or image you are portraying. These factors are fluid so one must be aware of what their dominant personality traits are, so that they are reflected in their choice on a daily basis. The chosen frame must enhance the wearer’s looks.

Consulting a good dispensing optician can help to minimise the confusion that may arise when one starts to go through the plethora of different shapes and sizes that frames come in. Dispensing opticians are trained to design, verify and fit eyeglass lenses and frames, contact lenses, and other devices to correct eyesight, so who better to advise you on the best style to choose for your next piece of amazing eyewear.  Have an idea of about which colours work best, this will increase the options available. Certain face shapes carry some frame styles better than others. Identify your main facial feature that is easily identified when anyone looks at you, the jaw line is usually the defining area of the face. One can either opt to accentuate it or minimise its visibility, depending on how favourable they find it as a feature.