An Essential Guide to Glasses: What Works Best For You?

Going to the optician and finding out that you are in need of some glasses, isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. Thankfully, glasses are back in style and there are a ton of choices to choose from.

Glasses now come in an array of styles, lenses, colors, and materials. If you are struggling and feel overwhelmed with the amount of choice, here is a quick guide to help you figure out what works best.

Your Prescription Type

Before we get to the basics of eyewear choice, you must first identify what you need your glasses for. Are they for reading? Are they for driving?

The easiest way to find out what kind of glasses you need is by visiting an optician. The most common visual impairments include:

Myopia (nearsightedness): Difficulty in seeing objects that are close in distance, for example, whilst reading.

Hyperopia (farsightedness): Difficulty in seeing objects that are far away.

Presbyopia: Difficulty in changing focus between objects that are nearby. Often occurs as a natural part of aging and tends to affect those over the age of 40 or higher.

Astigmatism: Difficulty at various levels of distance, typically attributed to an abnormally curved cornea. Symptoms can also include severe headaches and discomfort.   

Lenses

Once you know your prescription, you can begin to look at the different types of lenses available.

Single Vision Lenses: These are most commonly used to treat single vision flaws. These contain one prescription throughout the entire surface of the lens.

Multifocal Lenses: Contrastingly, you could choose a pair of multifocal glasses which are commonly used to correct both far and near-sighted visions. These can be either bifocal (with two lens powers) or trifocal (with three lens powers).

Lens Material

The material of your lens is an equally important step to consider. The most popular material is plastic however you could opt for a pair of glass or polycarbonate glasses.

Glass: Historically, this used to be the most common material used for eyewear, hence the name glasses. These are heavier than plastic and more likely to shatter however, they are more resistant to scratches.

Plastic: This material is currently the most commonly used in eyewear. Plastic lenses are often low-cost and give equally as good vision as glass, however, they are much more prone to scratching. Nevertheless, plastic lenses are less likely to shatter and therefore safer than glass.

Polycarbonate: This material is typically found in sportswear glasses, due to their high resistance and shatter-proof material. This material is lighter and thinner than your typical plastic.

Given the vast amount of choice available when creating a pair of glasses, the world of eyewear tends to seem intimidating, especially to those who have never needed a pair before. Glasses tend to be an investment and therefore it is important that you make the right choices when designing your perfect pair. The most important thing is that you have high-quality glasses that allow you to see comfortably and feel confident.