Simplify Your Eyeglass Selection

Let''s face it, at one point or another, just about everybody can benefit from a pair of eyeglasses. Some of us need vision correction at a young age, while others do just fine without eyeglasses until later in life. It is an extremely safe statement to say that at one point in your life, you will benefit from the use of eyeglasses.

You have accepted the fact that a pair of glasses will only help you, now how do you weave your way through all the available styles to choose from? Let''s break it down into easy decisions to help you out.

For starters, when are you going to where your glasses? If you are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism you will probably be wearing your glasses a good portion of the time (or at least when you want to see without contact lenses). On the other hand, if you only require correction for reading, you may be looking for an entirely different style of frame.

Eye wear comes in two main families of material; metals and plastics (also referred to as zyls). Metal frames are usually a little more streamlined and subtle. Zyl frames can be manufactured into just about any color and shape you can imagine. Yes, there are other frame materials available, such as wood and hybrid composites, but in general you will be deciding between zyl and metal eyeglass frames. For the sake of decision making, we will refer to rimless and semi-rimless frames as metals since most of them are comprised of metal based temples and nose-pieces.

Plastic frames usually have a saddle type bridge that fits securely over your nose, while metal frames come with adjustable nose pads. Bridge style decision should be made based on the rest of the frame; unless you know you absolutely do not want nose pads, for example. In that case, you will want plastic frames. Wasn''t that an easy decision?

From there you will want to consider frame and lens shapes. A good rule of thumb is to match the shape of your brow with the upper portion of the frame. That will at least get you started and based on how those look, you can try on some other pairs.

This is just enough information to get you started and help you pinpoint which style of eyeglass frame will work best for you. Remember, all in all, have fun with your eyewear. You may want a sleek and refined pair of rimless frames for those serious times, and it is perfectly alright to get a little wild and crazy with some fun colorful specs when the mood strikes.

Suzanne Hughes is an eyeglass style consultant for ReadinStyle.com. Visit her today and view a hand picked selection of designer reading glasses and optical quality eyeglass frames