How to pick the perfect pair of glasses

Published 23 Aug 2023

After we turn 40, our eyes can lose some of their flexibility. If you’ve never needed glasses before but find yourself starting to squint, hold books further away or stealing your partner's frames, it might be time to get tested for some specs.

Selecting glasses for the first time can be a bit daunting. Here are some tips from the GMHBA Eye Care team to help you pick the right look for your face.

How do you pick the right frames?

Once you have had your eyes tested and have discussed your visual needs with your optometrist, you may be prescribed lenses that can help. The next step is to pick out the right frame.

There’s three important things to remember when trying on frames, aka the three F’s – Fashion, Feel and Function.

Fashion

You want to be happy with the look, colour, and material of the frame.

Which glasses look best on the shelf, and which look best on your face is a completely personal opinion. The shape of your face, your brow height, and cheekbones all play a part in how a pair of frames sit.

It’s common to gravitate towards neutral colours – black, brown, tortoiseshell. Your individual colouring, eye colour and hair colour will influence what suits you. Even with neutral options different shades work differently on everyone.  

An optical dispenser will help you with the different options to see a broader selection available.

Feel

Always choose a frame that feels comfortable and sits correctly on your face. Your optical dispenser will inspect the frame to ensure it fits well and can adjust if needed.   

Frames are usually made from metal or plastic. What it’s made from makes a difference and can impact how the frame sits on your nose. Nose-pads for example can be a personal choice, or necessary to keep the glasses away from your cheeks.

Metal frames generally have the nose pieces, which can be adjusted to improve the fit. Titanium frames are an option if you need a light-weight frame. Plastic (also known as shell) frames typically have a moulded bridge which sits over your nose. This helps spread the weight but can limit how much the frame can be adjusted.

Function

The frame needs to serve the right purpose for you and have lenses that have been prescribed. So, the frame needs to be the right size to fit the right lenses and an appropriate weight for when and how you need to use them.

Do the all-important SMILE test. Do the glasses move when you smile (hit your cheeks)? That could get frustrating. Frames that sit closer to your cheeks can limit air flow, making them more likely to fog up as the air can’t move around the lenses.

Plus a bonus one - fun!

Forget fashion and the rules of face shapes, colours, whatever. Pick what you love and what you feel fabulous in. Getting glasses is like getting a new look and should be fun. So have a laugh and SMILE.

Getting your eyes tested

Spectacle prescriptions are usually only valid for 2 years. GMHBA Eye Care often recommends a recheck each year or if you feel something has changed in your vision or visual needs. When new glasses are being made, you may as well have the most up-to-date lenses with your new look!