specs please

[cruelladepoppins]

After many years as a happy contact lens wearer, I think I am going to become a specs-wearer - my eyesight is changing and I can't see things so well close up. (Cursed middle age!)

My current "emergency" specs were bought in the 1980s and really look it. Think giant pink frames, and lenses so big they actually distort things at the edges. Deirdre off Coronation Street had the exact same pair ... in the 80s. <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.blogcdn.com/www.aoltv.co.uk/media/2010/12/corrie-ken-deirdre.jpg&imgrefurl=www.aoltv.co.uk/2010/12/08/golden-oldie-coronation-street-at-50/&usg=__zz4PTHw1sM6ecZPlyuF6yGDUMzI=&h=275&w=300&sz=30&hl=en&start=108&sig2=5nbZWp-rFfHubhJEI2u99w&zoom=1&tbnid=Ekk9KR_U5GvV3M:&tbnh=145&tbnw=189&ei=DMWYTe2EKoW4hAeC3NTfCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddeirdre%2Bcorionation%2Bstreet%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3WZPB_enGB337GB338%26biw%3D1728%26bih%3D782%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C2362&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=465&oei=N8SYTdL4D4KEOo64icgH&page=4&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:108&tx=92&ty=45&biw=1728&bih=782" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here

Anyway. Am going to local optician soon and have no idea what's what in the world of specs. Don't want anything so trendy it's going to look "off" in 5 years. I am not going to go for bi-focals or varifocals - prob just take my specs off when I need to read fine print!

Any spec wearers tell me what's what in the style stakes? I am high of forehead (with a fringe), dark of hair and eyebrow, hooked of nose, and my eyelashes used to graze my old lenses, so mascara was a bit of a pain.

Having been a glasses wearer since the age of 8 and a convert to contact lenses around my 20's i do find that i wear my flasses more now that i'm eding towarss middle age! I tend to go for a more classic frame - not too thick not to thin -this is what i wear at the moment:-

www.toniandguy-opticians.co.uk/shop/products/Jimmy-Choo-Designer-Glasses-02.html

I think it's pretty much anything that suits these days not so much what's in fashion. Hope you find something you like!

I'm obviously not wearing them now as i can't see what letter to use and hence my spelling is a bit crap!!

According to my optician (who is very young and funky) unlike me - acetate is still big and will be for a good few years yet.

"I am not going to go for bi-focals or varifocals - prob just take my specs off when I need to read fine print! "

I wear varifocals and they are fab. The earlier you try them the easier they are to get used to. I need varifocals at work because I need to be able to look at the computer screen and catalogues with small type faces and I can't be bothered to take off my specs or change them.

That said, I still read very small print without my specs.

vision express (and probably all the other large chains) have a facility on their website where you can try different frames on a pic of yourself. i found this useful and realised that i preferred the titanium rimless ones rather than the chunky plastic framed ones i was going to go for. personal preference really but at least you can experiment before going into the shop
as i wasnt used to wearing glasses comfort was very important and i found the titanium frames so light that i hardly notice i am wearing them. its a bit more expensive but worth it
i also took two friends with me and told them to be brutally honest!

I have these

:www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/designer-glasses/red-or-dead-48/

and these

www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/designer-glasses/fc-73/

Both varifocals!!!

x posts everyspring

Sorry - these!

www.specsavers.co.uk/glasses/designer-glasses/red-or-dead-48/

its great to hear of good experiences with varifocals. i will probably need them in future and everyone so far has said they couldnt get used to them

"its great to hear of good experiences with varifocals. i will probably need them in future and everyone so far has said they couldnt get used to them"

OH tried them, but couldn't get on with them, but he was older than me when he tried them. It took me about 4 weeks to get used to them and I wouldn't be without them.

OH needs glasses for distance and glasses for reading small print, but his mid range vision is fine. He has bifocals, but can't wear them for walking around, especially if there are stairs involved. He also has glasses just for distance and is forever taking them off and putting them down then forgetting where he has left them. He wastes hours looking for his glasses.

It really is worth persevering with varifocals because there is no messing around and I only need one pair of glasses. Also they aren't as unsightly as bifocals.

I have worn contacts for 25 years and only wear glasses occasionally. I am VERY short sighted (-10). My glasses are very small rectangular frames, and although i love them appearance wise and get lots of compliments when wearing them I find the restricted field of view very annoying indeed, ie the peripheral vision. For this larger frames would be better, but then the lenses would be much thicker. For example I don't like reversing the car in them as I can't see as well over my shoulder, if I am sitting down but speaking to someone standing (eg ordering in a restaurant) I can't see the person unless I tip my head right back. If you are very short sighted, try looking all around as well as ahead when you try on the glasses and see to what extent the frames bother you or you would be looking over the top of them.

Could you carry on wearing contact lenses but get reading glasses to go on top?

Another thing style wise is that I look much better with my fringe off my face when I wear glasses, the effect is a bit cluttered with fringe. It might be worth taking a hair slide or two to the opticians with you to try different things with your hair

unless you plan to change the lens in the frames a few times over the next 5 years you really should look at glasses having a life span of 2 years..

Im a glasses weared and I find that my glasses just make it to the 2 yr mark and I find that after 2 years of daily wear im ready for a new pair both prescription wise and wear wise.

I do opt for designer frames and I dont mind the price as I get value per wear as they are worn daily! I have atm chanel ones that are metal frames with acetate arms, my last 3 pairs of glasses (over 6 years) have been acetate. Im due to get my eyes tested today so will see what is on offer frame wise !

Im hoping acetate and also diamantes.. I love my bling in my glasses!

I should be able to pick my new specs up in a few days

here .....tok me a matter of minutes to choose as opposed to my usual weeks and weeks and weeks...!

I dunno about varifocals. My DH couldn't get on with his as he plays squash and they annoyed him - if the ball happened to pass that particular bit of lens it confused him.

I do computers, reading, "distance" reading (sheet music on a stand), cycling (lots of looking down), driving etc.

My local Boots has that camera thing. Shame that the range they stock isn't very wide - sunnies are OK though (esp with half off frames at the mo).