Getting used to new eyeglasses

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I got a new pair of glasses at the beginning of this week. I wasn’t going to, but my previous frames developed a problem due to age (they’re a few years old), so I went ahead.

Historically, when I get new glasses, I’ve gone with something similar to the previous pair. You can see the evolution over the last twenty years: a little larger than the last one, or a little smaller, a little rounder, a little darker, or whatever. Whatever the choice, each new pair bears a definite stylistic resemblance to the previous pair. Two pairs three rounds removed from one another may be pretty different, but neighbors are clearly related.

This time, though, I figured it was time to get something a little more fun. My wife and I looked at some styles a year or so ago, but I didn’t have the need. But now I did, so I went for it. (Sadly, my wife just moved to Atlanta, so the timing sucks; she just missed seeing the new pair on me. Oh well. :()

Anyway, the new glasses are much funkier than the old ones. The old pair isn’t made any more, but they look something like this. The new pair, by comparison, looks like this. Thick plastic instead of thin metal, no nose rest, bold angles… way different.

(Didja know you can google the numbers on the insides of your frames to find pictures of them online? I didn’t until a little while ago. Pretty cool.)

So now I’m in that weird phase where I keep catching myself in mirrors and windows and stuff and hating how I look because it’s different (what’s that word for the self-image we all carry in our heads?). Yeah, I know it’s just because I’m not used to the new frames and after a while I’ll love them. It’s still a weird transitional phase, made worse because the style jump was bigger than usual.

Another odd little tidbit: Every single woman in my life (friends, co-workers, etc.) has commented on the new frames and how much they like them. Not a single man has said a word. There’s usually a tiny little pause of recognition, but then zero comment. Doesn’t even have to be “like or dislike” the new glasses; there’s not even an acknowledgement. I mean, I expected a skewed response, but I didn’t expect 100% F and 0% M. That’s just weird to me.

Anyway: How about other glasses wearers? How do you deal with the style jumps? Do you go through three or four identical pairs before leaping to something new? Do you trust your SO’s judgment about what looks good on you? How long does it take to get used to seeing a new face in the mirror?

2

My big jump was going from round frames to more square, done just a few weeks ago. Now I don’t notice it that often, but sometimes I just stop and look at myself and feel that they are just weird still.

I usually just go by myself to pick up glasses, ask for something similar in size to my old ones and in my price range and just try them on until I find something I like that I feel suits me. The colours always change (multicoloured first pair, my previous pair was dark red my new ones are checks this really dark purplish, almost black but not quite.)

Give it a few weeks and you’ll be fine with them.

3

I thought this was going to be about tripping over the carpet while trying to adapt to a new prescription.

4

I’ve never been happy with the way I look in glasses, and I won’t be until I get frames like this or, better yet, this.

5

I’ve been wearing glasses since 1973, when I was 7 years old, so I think I can weigh in on this. :smiley:

From 1973 through high school (1984) I did the whole big plastic frames thing – ugh. In college I had contacts for a while, but when I got tired of that I went to round metal frames, Lennon-style (in fact I still have two sets of frames titled “Lennon,” one brown sort-of-fake-tortoiseshell with a very old scrip in it and one gold pair that are my current sunglasses). By then they had come out with the much thinner high-index plastics, so I could get away with thinner frames, and the smaller lens area actually helped, as my lenses are highly concave and thus much thicker at the edge the larger they get.

After that I had a pair that was sort of oval, but still thin metal frames in a burgundy finish. That era came to an end when we acquired Phyllis the Rambunctious Puppydog; I soon discovered that I needed sturdier frames more suited for puppy wrestling. :slight_smile: So I chose my current frames (cool tip, BTW!), which are fairly solid metal, not flimsy at all, with the cool springy earpieces. I really like them a lot.

I always take Mr. S along when I pick out new frames, partly because I’m so nearsighted that I need a backup opinion and partly because I figure he’s going to be looking at them more than I am. I don’t want to pick out a pair that I think is really cool and funky, only to have him thinking “yuck” every time he looks at me for the next few years.

I always wanted to have a “wardrobe” of frames, but I’ve never really been able to afford it. I’ve had glasses for nearly my whole life, and they’ve become a statement about me, just like clothes or jewelry. My eye doc keeps mentioning LASIK or whatever the latest thing is, but I still can’t justify the expense because I’m perfectly happy with wearing glasses, I’m not overly active so that they’re a hassle, etc. I think it would be a bigger adjustment getting used to my face without glasses than the minor shift when I change frames.

6

I’m going to be of limited use to you since I’ve only bought one pair, about 3 years ago, for occasional use reading at home. However, I will offer the one truth I can now embrace form that experience… it being that it’s probably best to choose your frames before they dialate your pupils.

No, upon reflection and a quick glance at the frames let me restate that it’s definately best to choose before they blind you, lest you resemble a Chinese John Lennon with pinkeye.

7

Here’s my new pair. The previous pair, which I wore for more than 6 years, had much rounder and larger lenses. It was a definite change. I hate having to get used to wearing the new pair, they sit on your ears differently, on your nose differently, sometimes they hit your cheek etc. These new ones fit in such a way that they move when I smile and sometimes I have to push them back on my nose. And that’s after about 4 adjustments. But I really like the way they look.

And thanks for the google tip, I don’t know why that kind of thing surprises me about google anymore.

8

Oh, I must mention. Mine have gotten more square over the years… I found a picture recently and man those frames were large and roundish… and this was the 90’s (got my first pair 11 years ago)

9

I’ve had the same frames and lenses for two years, but the right nose rest broke off while I was cleaning my lenses. Takes a little getting used to. :frowning:

I really should get back to using my contacts…

10

You know you can buy those seperate?

11

I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 8, but it took me years to find ones that I really liked. About five or six years ago, I found frames that were perfect for me. I have more than average peripheral vision, and these were big enough that I couldn’t really see the frames while I was wearing them. They were probably not the best-looking glasses for me, but I’m much more concerned about how I see than about how I look.

A couple of years ago, it came time for me to get bifocals. The optician talked me into frames that were much smaller than my old ones. Of course, when I tried them on, I couldn’t really see anything at all because I’m close to legally blind without glasses, so I had to basically take her word for it. (DH was there, but isn’t much help.) Shelled out almost $300 for them, too. I’ve hated them since the day I picked them up. :frowning: I do like the bifocal feature, but the lenses are so small that I have to move my head too much to use it. Plus I am constantly aware of the frames all around my eyes. I keep wanting to bat the things away so that they don’t bug me so much.

Next time, I go for the big frames, regardless of fashion or anyone else’s opinion.

12

My husband is an Optician and Fashion Eyewear Consultant, so I get a new pair of glasses every year as part of his benefits. :cool: I alternate between new glasses and new sunglasses. (If you don’t wear contacts, polarized prescription sunglasses are the bomb. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up.)

The hubby fought with me for a while to get me to abandon my desire for big frames, as in recent years, the styles are smaller, smaller, smaller.

I finally gave up and let him pick my glasses, more or less. I am nearsighted enough that I can barely see myself in the mirror when I try on frames anyway. sigh

Right now, both my glasses and sunglasses are drilled rimless. Somehow I accidentally ended up with exactly the same frame, but the sunglasses frames are slightly darker colored. I can’t find them online, but here’s the basic idea.

13

I wish I could wear rimless glasses. My lenses are just too thick, even with all the expensive beveling and thinning and such. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was seven, in 1986.

Does anyone think the operator lady from Cervaise’s links is really really scary?

14

I’ve only been wearing glasses for about eight years or so, since either late middle school or early high school and, as far as I know, my frames have stayed pretty much the same the entire time… mostly because I’m not that adventurous when it comes to trying new styles but also because I’ve had my current frames and prescription for at least five years because I don’t have insurance and I don’t want to pay $54,904,830,953 for an eye exam and new frames and lenses.