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

I find it really hard to choose frames, and the staff in my local Specsavers have not been very helpful - a very young trainee tried to help me last time, and I wasn't convinced he understood what I was looking for - up to date but not too trendy as I tend to keep glasses for several years. My glasses are expensive as I need the thinner lenses, and I usually wear contacts, so can't justify replacing glasses every year. I'm sure the technology to show photos of yourself wearing different styles of glasses must exist.

I'd also love it if my kids and I could see the same optician at follow up appointments, I saw four different opticians last year while I tried to get more suitable contact lenses, and my son saw two different opticians. Means the advice was inconsistent.

In fairness to the staff they are friendly and welcoming to me and to the children.

I don't trust my own judgement when buying frames.To the point where I now wear cheap 'reading glasses' because I'm scared to commit £100+ to the wrong frames.

In the past I have taken DH along, but the staff in the opticians seem quite pushy and I don't want to be rushed. A fully transparent (!) pricing strategy on clear view would also be helpful.

I really must book another eye test and actually buy some prescription glasses.

As an aside, the children at primary school with my DC all want to wear glasses, as they are the 'in' thing!

I've had two pairs in the past but I found that I was only really wearing one of them and the other was neglected in a drawer. I need some new ones now so maybe I'll go and have a look and see. I like the idea of being able to change my appearance so easily (and different frames are a great way of getting a different look) but need to remember to use both pairs!

Pictures of me wearing the frames would be good. Last time I chose new glasses the assistant was really good at suggesting ones I would suit, though I found the cheaper frames pretty awful to be honest. DH took some photos of me in each one and I chose from those.

On the kids frames, more neutral ones would be nice, not everyone wants bright pink, blue or purple!

I have been needing new glasses for over a year but put it off as finding new frames is a nightmare. And it's a massive commitment financially and glasses I will wear everyday, so it is a big purchase in many ways.

Frames do seem to be very trend driven - last time I brought a pair 98% of the frames on offer were rectangular - all very similar, which really limits the choice.

I have a big head which means very few glasses fit properly - none of the nice ones I might go for. So I get to choose from the very few frames that fit me.

Usually I will look around various shops for frames and when I find the frames I like, that is where I get eye test etc & buy glasses.

IME despite various "offers" in the market, the end result works out to roughly the same price where ever you go.

I just got new frames a couple of weeks ago! (from Specsavers)

I got the 2 for 1 and both of them are pretty similar to the ones I had previously (Which were probably quite similar to the ones I had before that...)

I tend to go for the quite bland and safe options, I don't want my glasses to make a statement or stand out too much, just to look normal. Both the ones i currently have are black, one is half rim and the other one is a full rim but not really large

I have to wear glasses.the whole time, so does my husband. They have Really come down in price but still a real cost that other non glasses wearing people don't have!
I like trying something new. My husband doesn't. We were in an opticians recently and I made him try on a thicker rimmed pair...he looked like where's Wally! Our 1 year old has a horrible habit of grabbing our glasses and throwing them.to the floor. She even chipped my husband's lenses recently...not happy! Whatever happened to the frames which could be twisted and bent easily, they would be great as she also took mine off and in doing snapped the arm a while back. And non breakable or chippable lenses which dont cost the earth would be amazing,

I help DH choose his frames. His face is quite unremarkable (in a good way ), so more or less any frames will suit him. This leads to him trying on just one pair and deciding they'll do without looking at any others.

I am a big fan of rimless glasses. Have worn them for years.

DD however rocks her purple framed glasses with yellow tinted lenses!

I mostly wear my contact lenses but need glasses to get me to and from the bathroom before I put my lenses in/take them out. I am very short sighted and pay extra to have the thinnest lenses possible but my glasses still make my head shape look funny. If you look through my glasses it appears as if my head steps in and I am very self conscious of this which is why I wear my glasses so infrequently. I need help choosing frames to suit not only my face shape but also the lenses & prescription that I need.

When I could not see the blackboard at 8 years old and started living in my own world mum took me to Tillets in Norwich and I got my first pair of pink plastic NHS specs with the wiry earhooks.
Suddenly the world was a crisp and wonderful place. I did'nt care what they looked like and that I was now a “four eyes”, I could see!
I have had so many glasses since then. In the 70s I had the most wonderful hexagonal gold frames. Punk came along and I painted my old NHS frames with green luminous paint.
My most favourite frames ever were gold circles with graduated blue lenses, bottle tops of course because high index frames where not around then. In the 80's when I had my son they got sat on and that was it, then I had a long succession of oval gold frames until a kindly person at Specsavers said that they were a bit old fashioned and got me to try some red Osiris rectangular ones.
I now have varifocals and my glasses cost a fortune, so appreciate the 2 for one offer and try to keep my glasses for as long as possible. Rimless are a great innovation, ones like Steve Jobs used to wear would be ace.
Having a squarish sort of a jawline I have difficulty finding frames I like that suit my face. The fashion for flat topped frames that sweep up slightly at the edges make me look like an evil villain. I find searching for frames takes a long time. DD now has to wear glasses and we can now shop together and have a good laugh at the ones that really don’t work.
Searching for frames that are sort of an oval square with a slightly curved top that reflects my eyebrows has become a bit of a mission, as these flattering frames are not in fashion.

Mostly I wear glasses first and last think as I've always worn lenses during the day, so my glasses tend to last a few years. The last couple of pairs have been quite boring, just gold wire frames. Next time I would quite like something more dramatic. Colourful would be fine. I tend to admire bold glasses in bright colours on other people.

I find it really hard to choose frames. I have a pair that I loved about 8 years ago but they are out of fashion now and I need to replace them. I always take a friend to help me choose!

We are still adjusting to this world. DS(12) and I both got glasses for the first time, in quick succession, about 5 months ago. We are both due for a check up sometime soon.

Lots of people will probably be able to answer this, but my first idiot question is whether there is any reason to go back to the same optician? I think that whatever the outcome (i.e whether his prescription changes), I will end up looking for a second pair for DS, because he needs his for reading and at the moment I am trying to remove barriers to him reading for pleasure, which he had got out of the habit of (with hindsight probably because it was giving him the headaches which led to the optician visit in the first place), so I want him to be able to have one pair in his school bag and another by his bed.

Second idiot question would be any hints and tips on glasses for young teens. His head is too big for the kids' ranges, but he wants something cool. I did get him one of these cases to replace the boring one they came in, which cheered him up considerably when going in to school with glasses for the first time.

As far as frames go, I have no idea. Since neither of us were used to ourselves with glasses on, it was really hard to choose frames and decide what suited us. I would love someone to give honest opinions on what suits me and, importantly, what doesn't. I don't wear mine much (pretty much just for driving) so am not prepared to spend a fortune on frames, but since DS is wearing his for most of the school day, I will spend whatever it takes to get him something which he is comfortable with (hence I spent about 10 minutes choosing mine, while it took 3 visits and several hours to choose DS's )

My DP is very myopic and, even thinned down, he feels his lenses look awful in a square style - he favours light metal round or oval frames to avoid all the bulk at corners, but they haven't been fashionable for a while so they can be really hard to find.

I'm only moderately short-sighted but I do need to wear glasses - or daily contact lenses - all the time. I don't tend to go for frames that are too colourful or crazy because they need to go with all sorts of outfits.

When I get new frames (every 3 years ish) I take ages - go wearing my contact lenses and try on dozens of pairs for as long as the optical assistant's patience will bear. I often find what looks appealing on the rack looks ridiculous on my face, and I'm very particular about frames not being too wide or too narrow, or having the wrong shape - I find certain shapes seem to drag the shape of my eyes down and make me look miserable. I feel quite justified in taking my time though, I'll be walking around with them on my face for years.

I find some I like and keep them until they break. I have several pairs, to coordinate colours with outfits.

However, the finding frames I like part of the equation is always difficult - I'm currently hunting for a pair and I've looked at the stock for 4 different opticians so far. I try each on, getting as close to the mirror as I can (because I'm blind as a bat), and reject most for being too big, too small/pinched-looking, too round, too square...

I usually use the 2 for 1 to get a pair of sunglasses too.

I wish I was more adventurous but always seem to choose simple, dark framed glasses. As I only wear glasses for driving, I don't tend to spend as much time choosing a style as I would if I was wearing glasses more.

I wear glasses all the time but don't always enjoy it, I would love contacts and have had them before but I have a slight bump on my eye which dries out and become itchy quickly.

I don't have a lot of money so frames I really like I just can't afford and always end up with similar colours and shape as the ones before. I have had a lot of trouble with the nosepads rubbing recently which isn't helping.

However, my eye test is due in March and this time I am determined to spend a little more on myself and choose something different. After all they are part of my everyday life and will be lasting a while so I should be able to justify that money. I hope there will be some good frames on the 2 for 1 offer.

My daughter got some new frames recently and I am amazed at the return of what look to me like the awful NHS free kids glasses I used to have when I was 6/7. The all in one plastic frames - there was even an opaque white pair! I hated them as a child with my hideous frosted lens - what fascinates me more is that most are for adults - so the 70s/80s kids who had to wear them then are wearing them again now

My son has a couple of pairs in the same style as he has a tendency to break them!

I have different styles of reading glasses and before I had laser surgery when I wore glasses full time I had lots of different pairs to suit different hairstyles and so on.

Glasses are so expensive, I try not to go very often - I think my last pair from the local optician was over £400, the cost is partly as my eyes are quite bad so I need special thin lens or they would be too thick for the frame.

Normal I would take my Mum or my sister with me to chose as I can't really see without glasses on, but the do take pictures of you wearing the frames so you have the opportunity to see what you look like - I would not take DH.

I try on many different types of glasses and colours.
Due to very limited budget I only got one pair this time, but I do like the 2 for 1 offers and usually get 2 very different pairs or one normal and one pair of sunglasses.
When I am finished I am left with 3 to 5 pairs then I ask an assistant to help me choose. I have always been gracefully served and found the staff helpful and not pressing for a sale.
My last purchase I was recommended the cheapest pair which I do appreciate as DH wasn't with me.
I do try to go to with DH when he changes his glasses as he is more short sighted and find it difficult to see properly without glasses. On the other hand if I go close enough to a mirror I do see myself. I do also like a bit of blurriness when looking at myself so closely. It makes all the defect look better!
I do try not to follow fashion too closely as in I prefer to get something that suits me rather than something utterly fashionable, but I do try not to stay put in one style. I remember my grandmother still wearing those 50s style glasses in the 70s and early 80s, and looking very old. I will try to avoid that in the future.
I do like colours but black/dark does suits me best.
We try to take the DDs when it is possible so they can give their advice too.

I always struggle to find frames to suit me. I hate the letter box shape that seems to be all the rage. I need metal oval or hexagonal frames and they don't need to sit away from my face. I always find that the bridge piece pinches, no matter what I go for.

I used to buy the Osiris range but they've gone the same way as all the other "designer" glasses.

I have varifocals and as the last 2 pairs have cost £600 I only change them when I really have to (the largest chunk of that cost being the lenses). The last pair managed just over 2 years.

I prefer plastic frames with no nose pads, as I have a small pointy nose which nose pads slide down. As I'm very short sighted, I can't have rimless styles as the lenses are too thick. I pay for thinner lenses too.
I love the range of colours available in the plastic frames and was quite disappointed on my last check-up as my prescription hadn't changed (it would be a bit of an expensive luxury to get a new pair just for the fun of it. But tempting ::).

I really do not give a toss about designer names on a frame. I'm sure Specsavers can produce just as great a range without the name ?