It is a great experience to shop for eyeglass frames with your teen. However, choosing eyeglass frames can be a daunting task.
Finding great-looking glasses for teenagers will be much easier with these five tips.
1. Choose frames that complement the shape, features, and color of your face.
It is important to take a close look at the shape of your face before choosing spectacles that complement your appearance.
You will generally look best in aesthetic round glasses and trendy oval glasses if your face is angular or square. The opposite also applies: if your face is round or oval, you will look best in cute square frames and angular frames to balance your facial features.
For balance, select a frame that has a dramatic bottom edge (wider, heavier, etc.) if your face is heart-shaped. Alternately, if your face is wider at the bottom, select a frame that features a prominent brow line.
It is important to note that the bridge of your frame can have a significant impact on the appearance of your eyes and nose. A thin or clear bridge can give the illusion of width to close-set eyes, while a colored bridge will appear to make wide-set eyes appear closer together.
It is important to select spectacle frames that complement your skin tone (warm or cool), skin colour (fair to dark), and hair color. Warm skin tones have a golden yellow tint, while cool skin tones have a blue or pink hue to them.
A good frame color match for warm skin tones is brown, most metals, and splashy colors. For cool skin tones, grey, silver, and muted colors are appropriate.
You should also take into consideration the color of your hair and skin. If you have light coloring (e.g., ivory skin and blonde hair), you should think about selecting more subtle frame colors.
If you have medium skin tone and brown hair, light-coloured metals and brown frames will look best. If you have dark skin tone and black hair, most metallic frames will look good.
Try frames that match each colouring, such as fair skin with medium-brown hair, to see which suits you best.
Don’t know what to do? Ask a friend to help you make a decision.
2. Select frames that are not too large or too small.
A frame that is too large may cause visual distortion and glare, while a frame that is too small may limit your peripheral vision.
In general, frames should not be wider than the widest part of your face, except for frames for oval faces, which may be a bit wider.
When you wear a pair of glasses, your pupils should appear at (or very near) the center of the lenses.
Your frames should feel secure on your face, but not so tight that they pinch your nose or leave red marks on your nose, the sides of your head, or behind your ears.
Furthermore, the frames should not be so loose that they slide down your nose.
It is important that the frames are not higher than your eyebrow line, nor should they touch your cheeks. They should feel secure and comfortable behind your ears.
3. Select spectacle frames that are appropriate for your lifestyle.
Choose spectacle frames that will complement your favorite look, whether it is dressy, jeans and T-shirts, or bohemian.
4. Don’t let your lenses detract from your vision.
In addition to detracting from the appearance of your glasses, reflections can interfere with your vision and make it difficult for others to see your eyes. It is important to ensure that your spectacle lenses are anti-reflective in order to improve your vision, comfort and appearance regardless of the frame you choose.
5. It is important to weigh the value of the materials and other features of the frame.
In general, spectacle frames can be classified as plastic, metal, or a combination of both.
Metal frames
If you plan to keep your glasses for a long time and just replace the lenses on occasion, you may want to consider metal frames, especially those made of stainless steel or titanium.
Due to their adjustable nose pads, most metal frames are suitable for people whose noses are too small or large for plastic frames.
You should choose a metal frame that is hypoallergenic if you are allergic to certain metals (nickel, for example).
Similarly, if you wear a lot of gold jewellery, you may not want silver-coloured frames, whereas if you wear a lot of silver jewellery, you may not want silver-coloured frames.
Plastic frames
In general, plastic frames require less maintenance than metal ones, however, certain types of plastic contract and expand with changes in temperature and may require frequent adjustments.
Spring hinges
Are you prone to accidentally breaking things? If so, you might want to consider flexible hinges, which are more durable than regular hinges. For example, spring hinges allow you to bend the temples of the frame out farther than regular hinges.
So, there you have it: five steps to great frames for teens. If you need an eye exam, call an optician in your area to update your prescription…and begin shopping!
