Let's talk glasses frames with Specsavers: you could win £250 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at Specsavers would love to know what you think about glasses frames these days - there are hundred's to choose from - but do you always go for the same type of frame? Or do you have more than one on the go to co-ordinate with your clothes? What about your DP/DH if they wear specs - do you help to choose them, do they like a particular style? How long do you tend to keep your frames? And do you take advantage of 2for1 offers to get something a bit different? How do you pick the frame which suits you best?

Specsavers say "Whatever your style, we can help you find frames that suit you best. Our collection of women's glasses includes a range of styles from classic chic to bold and contemporary. With stylish frames starting from just £25 a pair and designer frames priced from £99 to £149, there’s something to suit all tastes and pockets. All glasses come with PENTAX single vision lenses and a scratch-resistant treatment".

"Vibrant purples, reds, pinks and rich tortoiseshells are emerging trends in eyewear. We have a gorgeous collection of ladies glasses to help you add a pop of colour to your wardrobe. Our women’s glasses are made in a range of materials, including plastic, metal, stainless steel and titanium. If you have a preference for what your frames are made of, search by materials to find the perfect pair".

Share your thoughts and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 voucher from here

Please note Specsavers may use your comments - anon of course - on their pages on MN, on their social media or possibly elsewhere - please only post if you're happy with this.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

NiamhNext you don't need frames for varifocals. I've got frameless and they are high-end varis. They've also been redone twice.

I don't like not being able to see all the way around my field of view (occasionally wear contacts) and find that a lot of ladies' frames these days are very narrow so you have to peer through a smaller opening. I have also run into problems with the pad supports being too small to bend into a comfortable position on my very narrow nose (leading to the frame resting directly on my nose!) and I have in the past had to go for men's frames as they have more leeway in the pad positions and I've got the larger lenses too.

I do have a pair of lovely purple reading glasses but they are the worst culprits for ill-fitting pads and I've had to resort to a pair of pliers to stretch them into position. (Yes they were Specsavers...)

I have five pairs in total. One of my old prescription (still fine for distance), one sunglasses, one varifocal, one reading only for computer screen use (or I'd be typing with my neck cricked!) and one reading pair for when my contacts are in. I can never find the pair I want! unless they're on my nose

I go with my son to help him choose what suits him. He always loves a trendy frame that inevitably is too large to look good with his prescription lense. It's very frustrating. He needs a small lense to look good. In small lense frames, a lot have more up the less the same frame, and very very littke colour variation.
In fact we went into specsavers and came out empty handed and very discouraged. He wanted some geeky dark blue frames. There was precisely one possibility, in the entire range. It was too large in the lense area. Boo!

I have a really high prescription, which means that the only realistic choice I have is for plastic frames. The ultra thin/light lenses I would need for the nicer metal framed or rimless styles are prohibitively expensive.
The other problem I have is that once I find a style I really like, it usually works out cheaper to buy a whole new pair of glasses than get new lenses for the ones I've already got, which can be a pain.

This probably isn't allowed on here, but if you're near an ASDA opticians, Signora, and you have a high prescription, they'll do you the thinner lenses for free. I get a 1.74 hi index lens for the standard price there (not Pentax or Zeiss or anything, but it'll do). Still no good for the rimless though, so don't pin your hopes on it

I don't find 2-4-1 offers much help, as they only cover the cost of basic lenses. My lenses alone are £300+

I don't find that there's much of a range, either. Be ause of the strength of my prescription, I'm very limited in what I can chose. Basically, the smaller the better. Add in varifocals, ie needing larger lenses to accommodate the different vision zones. Now add fashion: square corners are another no-no when you are very short-sighted. Then I need to find something that will be comfortable under the weight of the lenses. What have I forgotten? Oh, yes, personal preference. Very far down on the list. Choice? Not much.

Visited local branch yesterday. Had a thorough eye examination and new prescription but felt there was a hard sell on contacts and varifocals even though I am only an occasional glasses user. Choice of frames was pretty disappointing . Previously have chosen from youth frames as am quite narrow across the eyes and adult frames are often too wide and swamp my face. The petite range was variable in width and choice limited. Colours seemed either garish or very safe. Eventually chose 2 pairs as time was running out but only after the assistant had pretty much given up on me!

Looking online the petite pair I did choose could have been offered in another colour option which may well have been preferable to opting for an alternative style. Can assistants only select from those instore?

SS do varifocals 2 for 1, btw - it's just additional coatings etc that you have to pay for twice.

LIZS - we've ordered frames in, before, when DS1 was adamant he wanted a particular frame, same as his old, battered glasses, but it wasn't in stock, despite being on the website.

I only started wearing glasses about 5 years ago and only need then for driving & watching TV.
I have had the same 2 pairs for all this time - one frame is very subtle, pale pink, half rim; the other makes a bolder statement - dark purple with a bit of green on the side, more obvious.
To be honest I prefer the more subtle ones as I am less conscious wearing them.

I remember there were plenty of frames to choose from but many just didn't suit me.
It would have been nice to have a bit more guidance from the optician / sales assistant - to me they came across as just wanting a sale and maybe not being honest with me.

I'm the only one who wears glasses in my house and it's probably time I went for an eye
test and maybe buy some new
ones!

moonbells I wonder whether it is one of the coating I have then, or the strength of my prescroliption which means I have to have frames now. I don't mind though, I've got used to wearing frames. I just wish my eyesight would stop deteriorating.

Do you always go for the same type of frame?
I can tell which decade of my life I am in photos due to the glasses frames . I think that one type becomes fashionable for a couple of years and then the majority of the choices in the frames display seem to follow that so I end up with what most people are wearing rather than them suiting my face! Some of the designer frames seem very overpriced.

Or do you have more than one on the go to co-ordinate with your clothes?
I usually get two due to the offers, but often just end up using one and hating the other.

What about your DP/DH if they wear specs - do you help to choose them, do they like a particular style?
Yes I help DP to choose a pair. He likes subtle frames not big dark statement frames.

How long do you tend to keep your frames?
For a couple of years at least. Too long really mainly because of the expense and the hassle of choosing a new pair.

And do you take advantage of 2for1 offers to get something a bit different?
When I do I always regret it. The choice of sunglasses is especially poor and this is something that I would like to buy with the offer.

How do you pick the frame which suits you best?
I find this the most tricky part as it is difficult to see yourself clearly without your glasses on! I would like some hand held mirror, preferably with some magnification on it. And as a poster above said, the sticker is placed in the centre of your vision- why not put it on the frame? I would also like the assistants to be honest and say 'that really doesn't suit you', or 'the frames are too wide for your face'. Subtlety sometimes just doesn't work. I prefer to take my sister or my friend as they have a sense of what might suit me and they are honest enough to say if I pick out a pair of frames which don't.

I have glasses from Specsavers and think their range is really good. I always used to have barely-there wire framed glasses but a really handsome helpful sales rep in my local branch helped me choose a really bold pair I would never have selected by myself, and now I love wearing them.

Now I have a frame style and shape that suits me I do choose something reasonably similar each time I get new glasses. I don't match them to my clothes!

I tend to change my frames each time I need a full eye test, so every couple of years. I used the 2-for-1 deal to get prescription sunglasses, which I also love.

DH doesn't wear glasses.

I agree with lots of the previous posters about struggling to get frames small enough for my face. I'm usually directed to the children's section in my local store. I have been to an independent optician where you could get lots of photos taken with different frames and that was very helpful.

I struggled for years with frames that, while they looked good, we're giving me rashes on my cheeks. It turns out I am allergic to fake metal! It would be good to be able to choose shape / style / colour / material as so many frames are lovely on, but made of the wrong material - or don't look great but will not irritate me.

Help with choosing would be good too. Some advice on glasses / face shape and the option to put the glasses onto a photo of yourself - clever computer thing. It must be possible to do that.

Also, long chat today at work about wanting more robust arms to keep them from falling off glasses that are taken on and off all the time.

I got a permanent post recently (after years of being forced to take on temporary contracts) and one of the first things I splashed out on was some new glasses. Can't believe what a difference they have made to my style and confidence! Obviously they were from Specsavers and because of the 2 for 1 deal, I could get two quite different styles/colours to match my outfits.

I did actually get quite a lot of help choosing as I don't naturally suit glasses but I was well advised and have had loads of complements on them.

I don't think I have ever found a pair that really suited me, sadly. Really envious of friends who have clinched that certain soemthing, getting a pair that really clicks with their face somehow. Tried those face shape match things etc- no joy.

I have so much trouble finding frames I like. My eye sight is awful and it's hard to see what I look like.
The cost of the lenses also puts me off. I need mine thinned which works out really expensive.
I get as many years wear as I can out of a pair. Unfortunately it's about the expense these days!

Can you do a virtual try on? Like take a photo & see glasses on screen-there's never any in store the right shape for me-large rounded rectangle-normal ladies frames aren't wide enough

I really struggled finding frames that weren't too big for my face from Specsavers - my face is small, prior to needing lenses I bought kids sunglasses. However now I need lenses, it would be nice to have a choice (found the glasses in the kids section too funky or didn't suit) Eventually found a range in Boots for smaller faces!! I would love more choice though!

I try to buy classic shapes that won't look dated in a year or two. I stay away from anything trendy or too bold because I know I'll regret it down the line. I always appreciate advice on which frames to choose for my face shape. I would rather be offered thinner lenses for free or anti glare than the 2 for 1 offers out there.

I will sound like I work for Specsavers but I luff them. Have contact lenses by post with them so get a ridiculous discount on frames. It was so good I had enough for another pair and then I got one free.
After years of wearing glasses I feel liberated to have 3 pairs, one conservative, one rimless and 'sexy' and one trendy and can match my outfit. Amazing.

I love my glasses but wear them very rarely as DS2 likes grabbing them and they are quite thin. They're a pair of red or dead rectangular frames in a dark metallic blue. It took me ages to find a pair that were small enough for my face but not from the kids section.

I would like to see more glasses for petite faces. I love the thick chunky osiris one's but they are too overpowering on me.

I do have another pair of more robust frames to wear under my motorcycle helmet.

Dp does not wear glasses.

I don't use the 2 for 1 for buying something different. My prescription didn't change at my last eye test so I didn't buy anything. But If I was to use the promotion I'd buy my regular frames in different colours or buy 2 pairs if sunglasses - 1 for running and the other for under my helmet.

I always get something similar.

I hate choosing new frames and am currently putting off doing so - my current ones are old and a bit twisted.

I'm in and out as fast as possible, I don't tend to try anything on that looks too different to what I've got now.

I need to be braver I think!

I always go with the intention of getting something different; I usually end up with something almost the same.

The twice I did go for something different ( a red metal frame and latterly a larger tortoiseshell offering) I still ended up wearing my old out of date prescription because, guess what? I preferred the frame. Also I rarely feel so comfortable in the new frame, in fact I think that's a big part of it; new glasses always seem vaguely uncomfortable so you are aware that you're wearing a new pair.

My 21 year old dd came with me last time to help me choose but got fed up pretty quickly because I always pick up the same type of frame. Whilst specsavers prices are pretty reasonable, new specs are still an expense I'd rather not have and if you make a mistake it's money down the drain.

I'm so old now I'm wearing varifocals so think I'm destined to wear dodgy specs for the rest of my days.

I had my first eye test and reading glasses last year, at Specsavers. I chose plastic frames initially, but found them a bit heavy. I took advantage of my golden ticket to buy some purple metal frames one last week, I am much happier with those.
MY dh had his first eye test at Specsavers today, I met him in there afterwards to help him choose the frames. Both of us took advantage of the 2 for 1 offer, I need plenty of pairs as I am always misplacing them!