After determining that the frame is the appropriate width, has a good fit on the nose, and that the temples are long enough, we need to consider a few other things.

Only after fit, comes fashion. Look at the person, and be sure that the frame flatters the face shape of the individual. Do not get caught up in any silly face shape or color guides. A good rule of thumb is to match the frame color to the customer’s hair color. Have your customer put on frames, and see how they look. When selling, use the buddy system whenever it is possible. Allow your customer to select several frames and get opinions from other employees and even other customers (be careful not to get too many people involved). This puts the customer at ease and can actually be quite enjoyable.

Be honest and be realistic. As an old man, I am hardly in touch with what a sixteen-year-old girl thinks is the “in thing.” Do not try to make a sixty-year-old look like a thirty-year-old, or vice versa! Stock and sell what is appropriate for your area. It is perfectly reasonable to suggest that a customer bring a spouse, friend or family member along to help them choose. As the saying goes, “You have to see me in them!” In our practice, we even allowed established customers to sign out a few frames to bring home for family approval. Better to delay a sale a day than to risk a remake and I cannot recall a single time that it did not lead to a sale.

 

DO NOT OVERLOOK CHILDREN’S FRAMES FOR PETITE WOMEN!!!

Also always keep in mind the golden rule: The smaller the eyewire, the thinner and lighter the lens will be, so go as small as possible with the frame. That also means that the finished pair of glasses will be lighter. Fashion be darned! Smaller is better in eyeglasses!

For cosmetic reasons, when lens powers are very high, plus or minus (sort of) try to avoid perfect round shapes and go towards frame shapes with traditional ovals. This helps diminish the “bug-eye” appearance created by plus lenses’ magnifying power, and it helps reduce the appearance of myopic rings (visible distortions) in highly minifying lenses (greater than – 5.00). Again – the Golden Rule of Optics: To get something you have to give up something.

For very high powers it is not necessarily a bad thing to have some weight in the temples. If the temples are ultra-light the entire weight of the glasses will fall on the nose and they will be “front-heavy” or have a tendency to “flip/lean” forward. Worth considering I’d say.