How to Choose a Frame
Advice and recommendations from eye care professionals on how to navigate the online world of eye glass shopping.
When shopping for glasses, it is important to look at the measurements that we include in the frame description.
Here are some important factors:
1. Frame Measurements
2. Prescription Power
3. Pupillary Distance and Optical Center
4. Your Face Shape
Frame Measurements
The frame measurements will be the ones you may want to consider when looking at our frames to give you an idea of the size of the frame and how they may look on your face.
These numbers indicate certain dimensions of the frame used by the laboratory to create lenses and were not created for the purpose of frame fitting however they can be useful as a gauge on how they will compare to glasses you currently have. The first number doubled and added to the second number will provide you with the distance between the two edge of the lenses but will not account for any extra length produced by the temple or arm attachment. So this number can provide you with a general idea of the size of the lens.
We recommend that if you already have glasses, that you compare the sizes and look for something similar in dimension.
The last number is the temple size and rarely affects the fitting unless you have a very deep or very short head. This would mean that the temple either does not sit far enough or extends too long. The temple can be typically be adjusted easily for a comfortable fit. Extra temple length can be removed in certain cases.
The Power of your Prescription: Why is it important?
It's important to address prescription strength we are looking for glasses. The general rule is that if you are between -4.00 and +4.00 in spherical power and less than -1.50 in cylindrical power or astigmatism then most frames and lens indexes will work well for you.
When above these values, the lenses that you choose can have significant impact on the thickness, weight, distortion, vision quality and eye appearance. A higher index lens will result in a reduction in all the above. There is no harm in going with a higher index lens even if you do not exceed +/-4.00 or -1.50 astigmatism however you may not notice significant differences.
Your Pupillary Distance and Optical Center
Most of us have heard of a PD measurement that no one wants to measure. This is totally a scam right? Not really, this has to do with liability and should be done by whomever is providing you with lenses in your glasses. This measurement allows the lens maker to position the central point of vision right where your eyes are horizontally to avoid distortion and dizziness.
Optical center - bet you have never heard of this! One of the biggest risks with buying lenses online is that you will never have this measurement done. This measurement requires you to have the glasses on your face and determines how high the lens should be centered in relation to your pupil. Since online stores have no way of measuring this, they just don't. They approximate the lens center or even worse, they just put it in the middle. While this will work for some, it will not for others.
Your Facial Features and your Frame:
It's important to know whether you know your nose knows how your nose plays into all this. Your nose shape is important when deciding to get a frame with nose pads or not. When in doubt, nose pads are always a good idea. Nose pads are easy to adjust to fit all nose shapes whereas frames without nose pads are non-adjustable.