Styles for men's eyeglasses?

[NewJeffCT]

I am at the point where I am going to need to get reading glasses pretty soon - like this week or next, if I can find the time.

But, what are the current styles for frames for men? Keep in mind that I'm 43 years old, married and, while clean cut and not badly dressed, I'm not exactly a fashion plate. Most likely I'd go to Target or Sears or some place that sells glasses - not anything high end.

[MrScorpio]

1. If I had the cash, I'd get some of these puppies

Transitions!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

2. Birth Control Glasses - They're Army Tough!!11!

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/birth_control_glasses



That's not a picture of me. I wish I looked like that.

:hi:

[NewJeffCT]

3. My evil personality is enough for birth control

but, I don't really want another child as it is, but that's a topic for another thread.

[Haole Girl]

4. Just get what you like. Start your own style.

Personally, I'm tired of the square ones. Seems like everyone is imitating Keith Olbermann & Bono.

When I started wearing reading glass I learned very quickly why spring hinges were best... without spring hinges I was always having to re-attach the arms!

Also, see if you can buy some clips to go over them in case you'd like to read in the sun.

I kind of think these are cool (a half reader):

http://www.readingglassesshopper.com/the-magnum.html

or, these:

http://www.readingglassesshopper.com/small-reading-sunglasses.html

And they are very inexpensive. :hi:

[NewJeffCT]

7. Thanks

I'm not much of a "start your own style" person, but there are some good ideas at the link.

[caitxrawks]

9. my husband said i looked like sarah palin when i got my glasses.

I wanted to punch him in the face >:-o

[MiddleFingerMom]

12. That sure SOUNDS...

.
...like a Sarah Palin reaction.
.
.
Have you ever seen Sarah Palin and yourself in the same room at the same time?
.
.
I... didn't... think... so... ... ... ... guv.
.

[MicaelS]

5. Check out Zenni optical

http://www.zennioptical.com/home.php

I highly recommend them. Single vision glasses in as little as a week, and progressives (bifocals) in as little as two weeks. I bought 3 pairs of glasses for $133 shipped. Two bifocal, and one single vision with top of the line lenses. You will need to have a copy of your prescription and your pupillary distance (distance from center of one pupil to another).

Plenty of frames designs there. Basically most mens' frame, and many womens' follow the same pattern, a narrow rectangle or narrow oval.

[DontBlameMe]

10. You better hope they're right.

As an optician, I can tell you these places rarely get it right.

First, the frames are of very cheap quality. There is no warranty. The ones they list as titanium are not 100% titanium. IIRC they only have to be 28% titanium to use the name. The rest is nickel, which corrodes and reacts with most people's skin.

Second, there is poly then there is poly. I can get poly lenses for $.75 per pair. But, the scratch coating sucks. Half of the lenses have waves in them (a distortion in the lens which may or may not be noticed by the patient). Most of these lenses are rejects the manufacturers won't sell to a decent lab.

Third, you are not entitled to your PD. Or your seg height. Or a specific OC. That is what the optician fitting you with glasses does. Most of us spend many years learning the craft. I've been in the business, both as an optician and a lab technician, since 1992. My boss started in 1977. One of my co-workers made his first pair of glasses in 1967.

Does your prescription require a slab-off? Do you have a cylinder above 1.50? Do you have unequal add powers? What about compound prism? Do you have amblyopia? Diplopia? Are you pregnant? Do you have diabetes? Were your blood sugar levels fluctuating when you had your exam? Did you tell the doctor?

Finally, who's going to adjust your glasses? You come back to my practice and tell me you bought your glasses online, we will not adjust your glasses. Take them back where you got them.

If you bought spark plugs from the local auto parts store and took them to the neighborhood mechanic, would he gap them for you?

Sorry, this is a really sore point with me. Nothing personal.

[MicaelS]

18. Nothing personal, but glasses are vastly overpriced...

When I go to buy two pairs of progressive glasses with top quality lenses, and the cost BEFORE insurance and discounts is $2,000, and after is $800, something is seriously out of whack with the eyeglass market. And it's the fact the eyeglass market is almost entirely controlled by one company, Luxottica. That and the fact the big companies retail stores are located in malls, and we all know how high the cost of square footage is in those locations.

And lest face it, opticians are making money off selling a product. Does my MD / DO make a profit off selling medicine? No he doesn't. You want to make money sell your service at a rate so you can make a living and quit charging a X00% markup for frames and lenses.

And you might want to check out this blog. http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/ A very good point here:

GLASSYEYES: I apologize if you take offense, but I stand behind that. I've yet to walk into an optical shop (apart from inside a big box store) that wasn't overdone in some way or another. It is perhaps a bit generalized on my part, but you should really try to honestly step into one of your stores as a consumer some time -- with kids and a budget. I keep hearing how these eyeglasses that I need to see are a "medical device". The lobbyists for the ECPs have done and paid so much to keep things this way even in an era when no one is "grinding" lenses in the traditional sense.

So OK, we're talking a medical device -- until ten minutes later when I'm flipping through a magazine or watching television and see the latest LensCrafters ad. If you didn't know better you'd swear they're selling jewelry or jeans. They're pushing lifestyle. I, and many others, just want to be able to see -- and be able to afford groceries at the same time. The independents, instead of forging their own courses, seem to want (or maybe feel they need) to emulate the Luxottica stores. It's difficult to trailblaze, yes, but someone besides Wal*Mart needs to serve "regular people" -- PLEASE!

This is the gray area that optical stores have exploited since the advent of the designer brands. You want it both ways. If this is a medical device, treat it as such, if not then stop behaving as if it needs the same federal oversight as a bionic heart valve. You can't have it both ways and expect people to take you seriously.

I think most people would be comfortable forgoing the fancy lighting and displays -- they can't see any of this when they're trying on frames anyway.

And I consulted my optometrist, showed her Zenni optical website and she said go for it. And I've been going to her for years. I trust her much more than an anonynmous person on the net.

Nothing personal.

[sarge43]

6. Ah, you sure you want to ask a question like that in the Lounge?

[sakabatou]

8. I currently have a rectangular frame

Narrow lenses.

[CreekDog]

13. same here, smaller the lens, thinner the lens

:)

[CreekDog]

11. Plastic frames are in, not too big

Those wire rims, put them away for 5 years or so they don't look bad, but believe it or not, they look dated right now.

I just bought new glasses BTW.

[edhopper]

14. Look at women's frames.

The less expensive men's glasses are all big ass Larry King frames. The smaller more stylish ones cost a lot more.
But you can find very similar frames in the women's section for less.
And you can't tell which is which.

[NewJeffCT]

15. good idea - thanks

i'll have to take a look

[Haole Girl]

16. Why am I suddenly thinking....

:rofl:

[Sanity Claws]

17. Ask a sales person in a high-end store for help

If you go to Manhattan, there are a lot of eyewear places. Go to some of the higher end places that you'll find on the Upper East Side or Upper West Side and tell the person that you're just starting to look and would like suggestions.

I did that and ended up getting a nice frame that was marked down. It was nicer and no more expensive than you find at the chain stores. Like you, I didn't know where to start when selecting a frame.