Buying Guide
EYEGLASSES
Buying eyeglasses can be a daunting task especially when you have a wide variety of shapes, designs and discounts available around you to lure the eyes. Whereas a wrong size, wrong fit or a wrong frame can leave you with a sour experience. But don’t worry! This comprehensive guide will ensure you end up with ‘nothing but the perfect’ pair for your eyes. Let us first know about an eyeglass frame in depth.
FRAME COMPONENTS
Knowing your frame specifications is very important. Any eyeglass frame consists of 3 major parts in its construction namely frame front, temples and lenses. Some other components of an eyeglass are rim, nose-bridge, nose pads, hinges and temple tips.
FRAME FRONT
Also known as chassis or the base, a frame front is the largest part of an eyewear. It is made with different materials and combinations like Acetate, TR 90, Titanium, Wood, Nylon etc.
LENSES
Lenses are usually made with glass, plastic, or polycarbonate and are fitted into the frame. These may come with coatings like the anti-reflective coating to reduce eye strain or prevent Sun-glare.
TEMPLES
Temples are the long arms attached to the frame with hinges/screws, usually with a little bent at the tips to fit well behind the ears. The frame size is commonly mentioned on the temple insides.
FRAME SIZES
Eyeglass frames are broadly divided into 3 size categories- Small, Medium & Large. To determine what fits you, either keep your prescriptions handy or look on the insides your old frame temples for the exact numeric size specifications.
Frame size is a combination of numeric values usually represented in sets e.g. 53-18-140 known as the eye size, bridge size & temple size respectively.
EYE SIZE
Horizontal width of frame’s lens measured in millimeters.
Range 40-62
BRIDGE SIZE
Distance between two lenses measured in millimeters.
Range 14-24
TEMPLE SIZE
Length of the entire single temple
Range 120-150
EYEGLASSES LENS WIDTH
SMALL Below 48 mm
MEDIUM 48mm to 55mm
LARGE Above 55 mm
FRAME & FACE SHAPES
Even with uncountable designs and styles out there, there are only a few chosen ones which complement our look every day. Your face shape plays a very important role to determine which frame would look the best on you and match your personal style statement.
FRAME MATERIAL
Frame material is very important while choosing a frame. Below are some of the widely used frame materials:
Acetate
TR90
Stainless Steel
Titanium
Wood
PRESCRIPTION TYPE
It is important to find the right prescription type for your eyes before you buy eyeglasses. Find out if you need single vision lenses, bifocals or progressives from the chart below:
