Glasses may be a necessity, but they don’t have to be a pain. By choosing the style that’s right for you now, your glasses can be more attractive, comfortable, and serve your visual needs better.

The three important things to consider when choosing a pair of glasses are the frame, the lens style, and the lens material. It sounds simple enough, but a little savvy can go a long way.

The Frame and Fit

The frame chosen should be the right size, comfortable to wear and complimentary to your personal sense of style. If a current pair of glasses is unsatisfactory, making a list of dislikes or problems can make choosing a new one easier.

Frames that are heavy and slide down the nose are often frames that are too large. The lens area should be large enough to see comfortably, but should not rest on the cheeks or cover the eyebrows. A large lens area is not necessary to accommodate a bifocal, though it was in the past. Today’s bifocal lenses fit into much smaller frame styles.

If you prefer an oversize lens, be sure that the whole of the lens is visually usable. Lenses that rest on the eyebrows cannot be seen though, and the portion of the lens below the hollow of the eye also cannot be used. A bifocal segment placed this low cannot be seen through and is essentially useless.

Plastic frames are a popular choice because they do not have separate nose pads, which can dig into delicate skin on the bridge of the nose or in the eye area. This may seem a benefit at first, but plastic frames are less adjustable overall, and do tend to slide down the nose more often.

Properly adjusted nose pads on a metal frame will not dig, and are available in soft silicone materials that grip, rather than the older, slicker vinyl styles that slide. Nose pads may leave red marks on fair, delicate skin, but as long as the area is not irritated or painful, this is not a problem.

Frames with spring-loaded hinges stay in shape better and can comfortably grip the temple area without pinching. They are also more durable and suffer fewer loose screws, which can lead to lost lenses.

Spring-loaded hinges are also best for those who wear hearing aids, as they distribute the tension the device places on the temple-end throughout the entire frame. This can result in a more comfortable fit with less pinching behind the ear, near the mastoid bone, or squeezing on the head itself.

As to color, skin often wants brightening, but the frame is often most flattering when the color is muted. Pale golds, peaches and roses warm up pale skin and won’t overwhelm lighter hair and complexions. Save the brighter, brassier tones of red, purple and blue for small accents on the frame.

If the skin tone is deeper, muted shades of darker colors often look best. Shiny frames will draw attention to the glasses and away from the wearer’s face. A frame with small details like rhinestones or metal accents at the top corners of the frame will lift the eye upward, drawing attention to the desired areas.

Men, also, should pay attention to color choice. A shiny, bold frame will detract from the facial features, where darker browns and grays will blend in and make the frame less noticeable.

Lens Choices

Most Seniors will need to wear a bifocal or trifocal style lens. Lined bifocals are the most popular choice due to their past commonality and ease of use. Switching lens styles can cause adaptation issues.

The new line-less, or progressive, bifocals allow clear vision at near, intermediate and far points, but it should be noted that the wearer must be looking straight on at an object for it to be clear. The edges of the lenses will not provide clear vision; often the distortion is distracting, especially if the distance prescription is strong.

If regular lined bifocal or trifocal lenses serve current needs, often it’s best to stay with what works. Before switching to a new lens style, be sure the optical retailer will switch the lenses back to the old style at no cost if problems occur.

Lens Materials

Lightweight lenses are fast becoming the norm for today’s glasses. Glass lenses are not recommended due to their cost and weight. Plastic lenses are fifty percent lighter than glass, and can be coated or tinted with ease.

Lightweight lenses in materials such as polycarbonate or hi-index offer more benefits than glass or regular plastic lenses. Lightweight lenses are thinner as well as lighter, making the both more comfortable to wear and more attractive. These lenses can reduce problems such as magnified eyes and glasses that are too heavy, even in a smaller frame. The edge thickness of the lens is also dramatically reduced, making bottle-cap lenses truly a thing of the past!

Lens Treatments

Annoying glare is one of the most common reasons glasses end up in a drawer rather than on a person’s face. Light indoor tints or anti-reflective coatings can reduce or eliminate this problem. Soft pinks and grays are the most common tint colors used to reduce glare. Pink can soften the edge appearance of the glasses, making them blend better into the face and warm up skin tones. Light gray can have the same effect, but it can also deepen the appearance of under-eye circles or an uneven skin tone.

Scratch-resistant coating should always be applied. This is an inexpensive coating that can greatly lengthen the life of your lenses. The other coating that no pair of glasses should be without is a clear ultra-violet protective coating.

Ultra-violet coatings eliminate the danger of damaging sun exposure to the eyes, which has been linked to the growth of cataracts and the incidence of eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. Cataracts, once formed, can be surgically removed, but glaucoma and macular degeneration are not reversible and can lead to blindness.

Ultra-violet rays are not only emitted from the sun, but from televisions, computer screens, and the fluorescent lighting commonly found in clinical environments. Protect your vision—have a UV coating applied. Tint alone will not protect your sight.

Lens Measurements

The final consideration that can affect the overall performance of a pair of glasses is the measurements. When glasses are fitted, two measurements are taken: the location of the bifocal, and the distance between the pupils.

Sometimes the pupil distance is measured by the doctor, but more often the optician who fits your glasses will do this herself. Be sure to hold your head steady and look exactly where asked. If this measurement is wrong, it can lead to headaches and eye strain.

The most important measurement is for the bifocal, and the most common reason this measurement is wrong is due to posture. Most opticians will measure this with a marker and a small ruler marked in millimeters. It is important to sit in a normal posture, not unnaturally straight. Hold the chin at a normal level. Trying to sit up straighter than normal or holding the chin too far forward can mean bifocal lines that are set too high or low, making the glasses difficult to use. Sit naturally, and ask to have to measurement re-taken if there are any doubts.

If for any reason the glasses don’t perform the way they need to, bring them back to the retailer. Most reputable optical shops will fix the problem at no cost, within a reasonable amount of time—usually less than sixty days from the original purchase.