If you’re shopping for glasses for the first time, you may wonder what factors matter most. Is it your second, third, fourth, or fifth time? Perhaps you’re wondering if you’ve made good choices in the past.
But who knows? You may shop for eyewear every year or multiple times each year, theoretically making you wiser, and more discriminating. In any case, a little education could go a long way in increasing your post-purchase satisfaction.
In an effort to be your trusted eyewear advisor, we present a list of 11 things to consider (or not). Some of the tips that follow are “guidelines” or “good-to-knows.” Some are subjective, particularly when it comes to fashion. You know what they say about rules; they’re meant to be broken.
Whether you embrace every tip that follows—or not—the tips we cover here will help you become a more informed shopper for what is clearly a purchase you should enjoy day after day.
Face shape
Nearly every eyewear seller, online or off, is quick to suggest your face shape should be factored into your choice of frames. Simply put, faces and eyeglass frames come in different shapes and some combinations are more complementary than others.
If you’ve never been given this lesson, you’ll want to start with our thorough guide to choosing eyewear frames:
Color
Eyewear is offered in every color as well as all kinds of gradations and patterns. And most eyeglass models are offered with many choices, or at least, more than one. If you go to buy glasses without already having made up your mind regarding color, some of the factors you might consider include your:
- Skin tone
- Eye color
- Hair color
- Personality
- Wardrobe
- Versatility
- Timelessness
The frame selection guide offered above includes valuable insights regarding color selection.
Personality
While glasses are a way to correct your vision, they’re also a fashion accessory. Consider allowing your personality to influence the choices you make. You can be bold, colorful, and perhaps eccentric—or not. With a more reserved personality, you may want to go in a more minimalistic or classic direction.
Lifestyle
Your lifestyle is an extension of your personality, but practical matters may also come to play. You may want to consider your professional life, social life, leisure activities, etc.
Fashion trends
Eyewear trends come and go. New ones emerge. Older trends resurface, as is the case with every wardrobe element. If you’re fashion-oriented, you may notice trends regarding shape, color, and styles, and if you’d like to become more fashion-oriented, you can certainly keep pace with eyewear fashion here.
The EZContacts blog offers a steady helping of roundups (which showcase various eyewear selections) about trends as they relate to celebrity favorites, past decades, seasons, celebrity annual runway shows, shapes, styles, and more.
When you click “LOOK GOOD” on our EZONtheEYES blog, you’ll see nothing but fashion-oriented articles.
The blog also features category buttons that enable you to easily find articles about trends, styles, fashion, celebrity favorites, and more.
Cost
You may have a budget. How much do you want to spend? How often will you buy glasses? Do you want to spread your budget to cover multiple pairs… maybe for fashion options… maybe to meet a variety of vision needs? Do you have any type of vision or health plan to cover some of the costs?
That’s a lot. We’re here to help you buy smart.
- Here’s how to use co-pay insurance plans for vision needs.
- Here’s how to use HSA and FSA funds to buy eyewear.
- We often publish gift and buying guides for specific price points on our blog.
- When shopping on EZContacts, you can filter by price.
- Get on our mailing to receive timely notices about promotions and special offers.
Quality
The quality of your eyeglasses will affect comfort, clarity, eye protection, durability, and more. What affects the quality of the glasses? This too is another long list topped by lens material, lens coatings, and frame materials.
Consider the factors that matter most to you, get some answers, read reviews, and choose accordingly.
The products offered on EZContacts feature customer reviews. Also a good many customers post images wearing their glasses as well as their thoughts on their purchase on our customer gallery.
Materials
Glasses are made from various materials including different types of metals, plastics, and combinations. You may or may not have preferences, however, materials often affect the form, function, fashion, feel, price, weight, and more.
- This article explains how eyeglass frame materials differ.
- When shopping on EZContacts, you can filter your search by frame material.
Prescription
Many people shop for glasses whether they need them or not. They like the look. If that’s you, you’ll do your wardrobe and wallet some good by checking out this post.
Now, let’s assume you’re shopping for glasses for vision correction. You may need to factor your prescription into your decision. For instance, some frames won’t accommodate progressive lenses (based on the size of the lens). If you have questions regarding your prescription, we have answers…
Size
Size isn’t always that big of a deal (get it?). Think of the times you’ve grabbed sunglasses from a rack and tried them on. It’s not likely you thought in advance about size as you obviously would with shoes.
That said, eye care professionals may offer advice regarding size. The width of the frames will affect how they look (and function) on you. Sometimes the width of the bridge itself can be a factor. Finally, the length of the arms (or templates) differ. While you may be able to tolerate some degree of variation for “arm length,” your head’s size may call for shorter or longer templates.
The measurements of the glasses are printed on the inside of the temple arm, usually in the format of three numbers (e.g., 50-19-140). The numbers represent (1) lens width, (2) bridge width, and (3) arm length. These numbers are also presented on each product page at EZContacts.
Store
Where should you buy your glasses? Much like any item you purchase in this century, you can do your shopping online or off.
Offline, visiting an optometry shop (also found in big box stores) gives you the prescription you need to get prescription eyewear. However, each shop will have limited floor space and will therefore carry a handful of brands and models. An optician will be available as a live shopping guide.
Online, you’re likely to come across a relatively new wave of outlets that offer lower prices, mostly for their homegrown brand.
You’ve already discovered EZContacts. Beside our commitment to providing articles and guides to inform your vision, fashion, and buying decisions, you’ll want to have a look around here. We offer:
- An enormous array of brands and styles
- The lowest prices on designer brands as well as a price match guarantee
- Free shipping on all USA orders
- A virtual “try on” feature for thousands of products
- Special offers and discount programs for repeat customers
- A free online vision test for hassle-free prescription renewal
- 5-star customer service options via phone, email, and chat
Keep this in mind before you go shopping…
You’ve made it to the bottom of a lengthy article about what to consider when choosing glasses. One final tip: have some fun—be you—have it your way.
Face shape, physical characteristics, and so forth, may affect the decisions you make about glasses, but your feelings should rule. What do you think and feel? Do you feel good about the look?
Can’t make up your mind? Buy more than one pair and begin your collection. Or buy one and add more to your collection later.
