Choosing frame shape

You should consider three main points when choosing a spectacle frame for your face shape:

•    The frame shape should contrast with the face shape. This will enhance your own features and make the frames look well fitted and distinctive.
•    The frame size should be in proportion with the face size i.e. your pupils should be in the middle of the lens and the width of the frame match the width of your head.
•    Eyewear colouring should compliment your personal best feature (such as a bronze frame to match brown eyes).
Whilst everybody’s face is unique there are seven basic face shapes: round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square.

Round - a round face has the width and length in the same proportions and no angles. To make the face appear thinner and longer, try angular narrow frames to lengthen the face. So choose frames that are wider than they are deep, such as a rectangular shape.

Oval- chin and forehead are rounded, your face appears longer than wide and your forehead is wider than your jaw.
The oval face is considered to be the ideal shape because of its balanced proportions.
Most frames suit this face shape, but what works best are frames that are as wide as (or wider than) the broadest part of the face.

Oblong - This face is longer than it is wide and sometimes a longish nose. To make the face appear shorter and more balanced, try a deeper frame with decorative or prominent sides that add width to the face. Also look for a low set bridge to shorten the nose.

Base-Down Triangle - the triangular face has a narrow forehead that widens at the cheek and jawline. To counterbalance the narrow forehead, try frames that are stylised on the top half-like an angular semi-rimless frame or a ‘cateye’ frame shape.

Base-Up Triangle - this face has is wider at the top than the bottom. To minimize the width of the top of the face, try frames that are wider at the bottom, very light colours and materials, and rimless frame styles.

Diamond - diamond-shaped faces are narrow at the eye line and jawline, and cheekbones are often high and dramatic. This is the rarest face shape. Choose rimless frames or oval and cat-eye shapes to highlight the eyes and bring out the cheekbones.

Square - a square face has a strong jaw line and a broad forehead. To soften and lengthen a square shape, choose narrow frame styles like rectangular or narrow oval shapes.

Choosing frame colour
•    People have either a cool (blue-based) or warm (yellow-based) colouring.
•    Your eyewear should be chosen to compliment your personal colouring.
•    The three main ingredients that make your personal complexion are the colour of the skin, eyes and hair.

Skin
Skin tone is the most important element in determining colouring.
All complexions fall into one of two colour bases — blue (cool) or yellow (warm).
A cool complexion has blue or pink undertones, and a warm complexion has a "peaches and cream" or yellow hue.

Eye and hair colouring are secondary to skin colour when determining a persons overall complexion. However, as frames frequently have more than one colour nowadays, it may complete the picture to complement the hair and eye colour with other coloured elements of the frame!

Frame Colours
Once you have determined if you are "warm" or "cool," then you can find the frame colours that will suit you the best.
Warm frame colours are: gold, copper, peach, orange, khaki, off-white, red, warm blue and blond tortoise.
Cool frame colours are: black, rose-brown, blue-grey, plum, magenta, pink, and blue.

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Single vision - a single vision lens is a lens with a single focal point i.e. Will correct distance vision if and you are longsighted and reading vision if you are longsighted.

Bifocals - you eye has a flexible lens that can be focus by eye muscles so that you can see clearly up-close, typically by the mid-forties the lens hardens and muscles weaken so that near focusing becomes difficult. This is called presbyopia. A bifocal basically is distance lenses with a reading prescription added to the lower third. There is a clear demarcation or line between the distance and reading powers. This is why they are called ‘bi’focals i.e. two areas of focus.

Most people get used to using bifocals easily and they are far more convenient than carrying around a separate pair of glasses for distance and reading.

Varifocals - Varifocals are similar in concept to bifocals except there is a gradual change from distance and reading power. This change is blended so there is no demarcating line. This allows focusing at all distances from very far away, to intermediate distances (e.g. Computer screen) through to close up reading. This is why they are called ‘vari’focals.
They could be thought of as an advanced bifocal.

Lens materials

Plastic - This is the standard material used in spectacle making. It is an all rounder that is relatively tough, light and has good optical qualities.

Glass - This has been superseded by plastic as it is heavier and can smash if dropped. However it has a very hard surface making it more scratch resistant than standard plastic.

Polycarbonate - Polycarbonate is up to 10 times tougher than regular plastic and therefore very useful for children’s glasses, safety glasses and sports eyewear e.g. squash goggles. It also is used in rimless and semi-rimless due to its toughness. It also has the advantage of being thinner and lighter than regular plastic lenses.

Hi-index - These are lens materials designed to minimize thickness and improve the cosmetic appearance of the glasses. They are described by their index number, the higher the number, the thinner the lens will be for your prescription. At the moment the thinnest plastic available is 1.74 index and thinnest glass is 1.9 index.

Aspheric - These lenses are designed to minimise the amount of material in the lens keeping it thin and light. It works particularly well for (+) plus powers. (Long-sightedness)

Lens coatings

Anti-reflection - this coating virtually eliminates annoying reflections off the lens surface. This is useful when driving, particularly at night or if you use a VDU. Cosmetically, anti-reflection coatings improve appearance of your spectacles by making them look less ‘glassy’ and can make thick lenses look thinner.

Scratch resistant - lenses can be toughened on the surface to make them more scratch resistant. This is particularly useful if you put your glasses on and off a lot or work e.g in construction or with children.