Hey, Four Eyes!

Looking sharp.

Whether people wear eyeglasses every day, when reading and looking at computers or only when they’re having problems with their contact lenses, they want a pair that looks good, said Tina Hodge, optical supervisor and certified optician at Watson Eye Associates in Rocky Mount.

Comfort and price obviously are big concerns when shopping for eyeglasses, Hodge said. But style plays a huge role as well, since for many people, their eyeglasses are as much of a fashion statement as any other accessory they wear.

“It used to be that when somebody would say, 'You’ve got to get glasses,’ people would say, 'Oh no, I don’t want to get glasses.’ Now people will come in and get glasses with no prescription just to wear with an outfit,” Hodge said.

Some people even come in once a year and buy several pairs to fit different styles and outfits, said Amy Vaughn, assistant manager of National Vision inside the Rocky Mount Wal-Mart.

“They want to change up with their clothes. For different outfits they have casual glasses, dressy glasses. They want different glasses for going to church in than they want for sitting around the house or going to work in,” Vaughn said.

Fashion with eyewear often goes in three directions: glasses that are bold and attract attention, those that will be as unnoticeable as possible and regular, no-nonsense ones that can be worn everywhere, said Russ Tolar, operations manager for Eyecarecenter in Rocky Mount.

With people who want their eyewear to grab attention, Tolar has noticed interest in heavier, vintage styles (think Buddy Holly) or lines that have lots of bling such as Dolce and Gabbana and Versace.

“I just think it is fun and trendy and people enjoy it. You can certainly make a statement with your eyeglasses,” Tolar said.

Many people are going for bolder colors – purple, orange, red – that stand out, Vaughn said. Black, burgundy and tortoise have seen a boost, too, over the previously popular round gold or silver frames.

Name brands also are significant when people want their glasses to stand out, Hodge said. Customers from teens to adults want to see the newest line in Kate Spade, Vera Bradley, Ray-Ban, Liz Claiborne, Nine West or Gucci because they saw a television actor wearing a pair.

With children, Hannah Montana, SpongeBob SquarePants or other television and film characters they like can help ease the transition to glasses, Vaughn said. This is important if parents want their children to actually wear the glasses.

“If they don’t enjoy them, they are not going to wear them, and it is just going to be a waste of money for the parents. It is tough enough for kids to wear glasses in school,” Vaughn said.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, rimless drill mount eyeglasses are perfect for people who don’t want their eyewear to be the first thing someone notices about them, Hodge said. The glasses are lightweight, comfortable and durable, despite their fragile appearance.

Whether they want them to be noticed or not, stores are selling mostly smaller, more rectangular glasses, a trend that still is holding strong, said Kevin Shearin, frame stylist at Doctors Vision Center in Rocky Mount.

“The smaller rectangular frames have come back in over the last eight months to a year. The year before that, it was more into the oval shapes,” Shearin said.

Everything about eyeglasses is in a constant state of flux, Shearin said. Trends in frames shift every year to 18 months, while improvements to their structure to make them more durable are continuous.

But the biggest advances always are in the lenses, Tolar said. Lenses today can be antireflective, scratch resistant and protect from ultraviolet light. Their tint can transition from light to dark in a matter of seconds when they step outside. Unlined bifocals grow in popularity daily.

Best of all, even with all the enhanced features a lens has, it can be shaped to fit any style of frame an eyeglass wearer chooses, Hodge said.