Searching for new eyeglass frames isn’t easy. There are so many brands and shapes and sizes. And even if you find one that fits your face, you may just find it uncomfortable to wear. Here are some tips to help minimize disappointment.
Eyeglass Frame Dimensions
On one side of eyeglass frames are some numbers.
These numbers are the
- width of the lens opening
- width of the bridge
- length of the temple (side)
There is one more important dimension which unfortunately isn’t listed. It’s the height of the lens opening, which is prefixed with the left B.
Shopping
Now, you can go and shop around for frames and physical stores but that could take a long time. If you’re not sure what size you need, then you should definitely start trying on different frames at stores and note their size and shape. Then, you can search for frames online from a website that, ideally, would let you filter by size. One such site is FramesDirect.com. The good thing about that site is it shows you all dimensions including lens opening height.
Comparing
Most frame product pictures are shown at an angle. However, this doesn’t give you a good idea of how the front of the frame looks as you’d see it when worn. If the frame’s product page doesn’t show the front view, you can search Google Images for it to see if you like how it looks. Another benefit to having the front view image is you can open it up in Photoshop and layer it over either your face or the front view image of a frame that you know you like, e.g. your current eyeglass frame. You can lower the opacity of the top layer to see how much the new frame’s shape matches the other frame. If that’s too advanced for you, you can just put the frame pictures side by side. Below is a screenshot of some frames I selected and pasted in a Google Doc.
Or, you can remove the background of the frame image and, if you have a front view headshot of yourself, you can overlay the frame image over your face to get a rough idea of how the frame would look on you.
Comparing frames in person
Selfie Video
If you have a few frames to try on and you are nearsighted (can’t see far), take a selfie video with each frame on instead of relying on how you see yourself in a mirror with the frames on. The reason is you won’t be able to see how the frames really look on you because your sight would be blurry. After taking the videos, you can analyze them with your prescription glasses on to decide which frame you like the most.
Disposable Contact Lenses
A better option would be to buy disposable contact lenses. A 30 day supply costs about $35 from Costco.
Final Purchase
Lastly, if you want to buy a frame at a physical store, it’ll probably cost more even after you’ve applied your insurance discount. Physical frame stores mark up frame prices exorbitantly. If you’re sure you want a particular frame, you’ll almost always find it cheaper online, even without your insurance. You can then just use your insurance to get the prescription lens made, e.g. at Costco.