Types of Glasses and Frames

Eyewear can be a statement, with each frame bringing out your best features or unique colors to highlight your personal style. Glasses can quickly change your appearance. Whether you're wearing eyeglasses to make a fashion statement or trying to find your new favorite pair for corrective purposes, there are many things to consider. In this guide, you can find everything you need to know about the different types of eyewear so you can find the best pair for you.

Exploring the Variety of Glasses and Frames

Finding the right eyeglasses for you begins with choosing the right type of lenses. Many types of corrective, specialized and non-prescription glasses can enhance vision or protect your eyes in various ways.

Corrective Lenses

Corrective lenses refer to the type of glasses that correct vision in one way or another. These lenses can help near and farsighted people navigate daily activities, like driving or reading. There are many kinds of corrective eyeglasses, including:

• Single vision: These eyeglasses address a vision issue across the entire lens. For example, they can help a nearsighted person see people and objects in the distance.
• Bifocals: Bifocals have two zones, correcting vision in two ways. Often, the top portion will allow people to see far away, while the bottom portion allows people to read and see close objects.
• Trifocals: Similar to bifocals, trifocals have multiple zones as well. These glasses have the same distance and near vision zones and an additional zone for intermediate distances. This extra zone helps people see things about an arm's length away.
• Progressives: Progressive eyeglasses are similar to trifocals, offering the same three zones. However, while trifocals have distance lines to distinguish the zones, progressives provide a more seamless transition between zones without visible lines.

Specialized Eyewear

Specialized eyewear can be prescription sunglasses or protective eyewear for playing sports. Sunglasses have tints to make it easier to see clearly in bright locations and outside. Protective eyewear for sports could include goggles or eyewear with wraparound frames to eliminate or reduce eye damage risk.

Although this type of eyewear can be non-prescription, you can also request specific lenses or modifications for prescription glasses to achieve these functions. For example, you can find prescription eyeglasses with UV protection or shade-adjusting technology to become darker when you're outside.

Computer Glasses

Computer glasses and blue light glasses offer protection from digital screens, such as laptops, phones and televisions. These glasses reduce the effects of digital eye strain, making them an excellent option for those who work in front of a screen or people with screen-related hobbies, such as playing video games or scrolling on social media. Although blue light protection glasses can be non-prescription, you can add this feature to your corrective lenses for further protection.

Reading Glasses

Reading glasses, or readers, refer to the eyewear that allows people to read close-up text. Older adults often use these glasses, as eyesight changes with age and certain tasks become more difficult. These glasses are thick in the middle and thin at the edges. There are various enlargement options for reading glasses with different strengths to make reading more comfortable.

Non-Prescription Lenses

People without corrective needs can rely on non-prescription lenses to protect their eyes from damage while being fashion-forward. Although sunglasses are the most common type of non-prescription glasses, there are other options. For example, blue light glasses can be non-prescription, and some people enjoy wearing glasses with non-corrective lenses to make a unique fashion look.

Face Shapes and Glasses Styles

Lens shapes and styles also impact your overall look. With such a wide range of styles available, it can seem challenging to find the right eyeglasses for different face shapes. Glasses shapes and styles typically can be browline, aviator, geometric, rectangle, round, square, oval or cat-eye. Your face shape is a large indicator of the right eyewear styles for you. As a general guideline, you can follow these tips:

• Oval faces: Oval faces often have very balanced features, empowering people with this shape to wear nearly any frame style. People with oval faces can opt for multiple styles to enhance their unique looks. From geometric to cat-eye to oversized frames, the options are nearly limitless for oval faces.
• Heart faces: Heart faces have a narrow chin and broad forehead. Frames with a wider bottom portion can flatter this face shape. Options like round frames or aviator styles can create a unique look.
• Square faces: People with square faces often sport strong jawlines and broad foreheads. Oval frames can complement this face shape by providing a beautiful contrast to the face's sharp angles.
• Round faces: Faces that have full cheeks and as long as they are wide are round faces. Frames with sharp angles can be an excellent contrast for these faces. Consider options like square frames, browline or cat-eye.

Eyeglass Frame Materials

The material for your eyewear can impact your look and which frame style you want. Although materials for eyewear constantly evolve, common materials include wood, plastic and metal. While many types of glasses offer a range of material choices, some frames only come in a few options. Different types of glasses frames include:

• Fully-rimmed: These glasses often create a bold look with material fully enclosing the lenses. Many materials can create fully-rimmed glasses, including plastic, titanium and acetate. This type can be excellent for making a statement, as they come in various colors, sizes and styles.
• Rimless: People who enjoy a subtle look and lightweight feel often opt for rimless glasses. This option makes it easy to enjoy a minimalistic look because the arms and nose bridge are the only features that stand out. Rimless glasses often come in titanium and other metals.
• Semi-rimless: Semi-rimless glasses offer a hybrid of fully-rimmed and rimless, providing options for statements in different colors and styles while still being lightweight and classical. These glasses also mimic the outline of your natural eyebrow, creating a complementary look for your face.
• Low bridge: These glasses offer comfort by minimizing sliding. Some pairs may have larger nose pads to increase comfort and angled lenses so they don't rest directly on the cheekbones. Although you can find these glasses with metal materials, acetate frames can offer a more extensive variety of glosses or finishes.
• Wire: Wire frames are some of the most classic rim types for glasses. This style features a lightweight design, making them comfortable and beautiful. Although wire frames often support circular lenses, you can find some eyewear with unique lens shapes, like hearts or octagons.