Eyewear

Eyewear, though once seen as an inconvenience for those with impaired vision, has now become somewhat of an accessory for the face. Divided into two main categories – prescription and sunglasses – eyewear is no longer seen as unattractive or cumbersome. Thanks to new eyewear developments, people can choose from a huge variety of styles to accent their personalities while promoting proper optical care.

Sunglasses are perhaps the most popular type of eyewear out there as nearly every single human on the face of the earth owns a pair. From children all the way up to elderly adults, everyone wears sunglasses on a daily basis. Some choose a pair as a fashion statement while others do so for more practical reasons like blocking harmful UV rays from causing optical damage. They can even come with prescription lenses. The popularity of sunglasses has led to the development and manufacturing of an endless amount of styles. Some popular designers include Bolie, D&G, DKNY, Guess, Oakley, Ralph Lauren, Vogue, and Ray-Ban. Here’s a look at some of the most popular types of sunglasses:

Aviators
Perhaps one of the most iconic eyewear styles out there, Aviators originated in 1936. Ray-Ban – a well-known eyewear company – designed these sunglasses with large tear shaped lenses with thin metal frames. Often associated with law enforcement or military personnel, Aviators remain a staple of the eyewear world.

Clip-ons
These are a type of sunglasses that were designed for convenience. They are tinted lenses that clip onto a pair of prescription glasses. This allowed prescription glass wearers to wear sunglasses without suffering any vision impairment. Of course, when prescription sunglass lenses were introduced, the clip-ons became less popular.

Flip-ups
These are a variation of the clip-ons as they are just tinted lenses that clip onto the frame of another pair of glasses. Though rather than being unclipped when moving in and outdoors, Flip-up eyewear will just flip up.

Mirrorshades
These are a type of eyewear lens in which the lenses feature a mirrored coating. This coating is used for UV protection and allows wearers to see improved contrast. This is particularly useful for winter sports athletes as it allows them to see the contrast between snow and ice. Though, plenty of people choose this style of eyewear, as they are available in a huge variety of styles.

Oversized
These sunglasses have massive frames with brightly coloured lenses. Many remember Elton John’s oversized sunglasses from his Captain Fantastic era in the 1970s; however, oversized glasses reached their popularity peak in the 1980s. Now, they are often worn as costumes or for humorous purposes. They are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at joke or costume shops.

Graduated Lenses
This type of eyewear features a lens that is darker toward the top and gets progressively lighter toward the bottom. They were developed to give the wearer more protection while looking higher up (out the top of the lenses). They can also be worn indoors. They come in a huge variety of styles.

Teashades
These are a type of sunglasses that were worn for purely aesthetic reasons. They were developed in the 1960s and were made famous by such personalities as John Lennon and Ozzy Osborne. They are small thin-framed glasses with perfectly round coloured lenses.

Wayfarers
These are another classic style of eyewear developed by Ray-Ban in 1956. They feature trapezoidal lenses in thick plastic frames. While the original frames were black, Ray-Ban has sense released them in several different colours. Many people remember them thanks to such celebrities as James Dean and Bob Dylan.

Wraparounds
This type of eyewear was originally developed as more of a protective eyewear. They feature a single, unbroken semi-circular lens that covers both eyes, and is meant to offer the same protection as goggles. These types of glasses are often worn by people who need a little bit of eye protection while working in the sun. Though, they have become a popular choice for athletes and other people who like the unique look they offer.

While sunglasses are often used for fashion, prescription glasses are used for corrective purposes. Thanks to advancements in the eyewear world, there are now several different types of frames available to help the wearer pick one that is both comfortable and fashionable. They are available through a doctor that specialise in optical care. If you think you may need glasses, simply call to make an appointment. You will be given an exam and a proper prescription will be developed. Prescription glasses come with a variety of different lenses, depending on what type of vision problem a wearer has. Here are a few of different prescription lens types:

Single Vision
These are a type of corrective lens that features a single prescription over the entire are of the lens.

Bifocal
Bifocal lenses have two different prescriptions with the top part used for seeing long distances and the bottom part used for near vision. There is usually a visible line on the lens between the two different prescriptions.

Trifocal
These lenses are similar to bifocals though there is a third prescription in the centre of the glasses used to improve immediate vision. Also like bifocals, there is a visible line between the three different prescriptions.

Progressive
Also called varifocal lenses, these are almost exactly the same as bifocals. They are used to see long and near distances, though there is no visible line between the two different prescriptions.

Adjustable Focus
These are also called variable focus lenses and help wearers see at all distances by dynamically adjusting focal length no matter where the eye is looking through the lens.

Aspheric
This type of eyewear is characterised by a thinner lens. This is mostly for an asthetic purpose as these thinner lenses distort the look of the wearer’s eyes less from the point of view of other people looking at them.

Plano
These are a type of eyewear that feature the look of prescription glasses; though, they are worn by people who need no vision correction.

Whether you need prescription glasses, sunglasses, or both, there is no limit to the variety of styles and lenses to meet your every need.