Frame Selection

FRAME SELECTION

WHAT IS FRAME SELECTION

Frame selection is the process of choosing eyeglass frames that best suit your facial features, prescription needs, lifestyle, and personal style, often involving matching frame shapes to face shapes (e.g., angular frames for round faces) for balance, ensuring proper fit and comfort, and considering color and material for aesthetics and function.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER DURING FRAME SELECTION

USING THE WEARER’S OLD FRAME

Sometimes a person wants to use their old frames instead of selecting something new. This may or may not be appropriate.

There are a number of valid reasons for wanting to use the old frame and not purchase a new one. These include cost, comfort of the old frames, and sometimes the inability of the wearer to look in the mirror with any other frame and still have what they see look right to them.

Factors to Consider Before Using the Wearer’s Old Frames

Stress on the frame. Putting new lenses in an old frame may involve putting additional stress on the frame, Older frames may not withstand that stress very well.

It is hard to predict how long an old frame will last. Will it last the life of the new lens prescription? If the frame breaks, it is not a simple task to find another frame into which those new lenses will fit.

Frame Selection

Availability of spare parts. If the old frame needs repairing in the future, will there be parts available? A used frame may already be discontinued.

Emergency backup of old frame. Usually people keep their old glasses as a backup spare pair in case they lose or break their new pair. Using the old frames eliminates the emergency backup

Frame Selection

Are the old frames out of style or nearly out of style? If they are nearly out of style, what will these older frames look like by the time the wearer is ready for the next prescription change?

COSMETIC CONSIDERATIONS

Cosmetic frame selection involves balancing face shape, skin tone, and features like eyebrows, focusing on contrast (angular frames for round faces, softer frames for square faces) and complementary colors (warm tones for warm skin, cool tones for cool skin) to enhance features, while ensuring proper fit and size for overall harmony.

FRAME SHAPE AND FACE SHAPE

Since frames are exceedingly obvious on the face, their shape tends to emphasize or deemphasize characteristics of the face. A good frame selection can be simplified by considering first which facial lines are complimentary to the person.

Because a hairstyle can also alter the apparent shape of the face, frames are generally chosen to compliment the face as it appears with the hairstyle being worn at the time of frame selection

Facial Types

• Generally, there are seven basic facial shapes:

1. Oval—considered to be the ideal type 2. Oblong—thinner and longer than usual, with the sides of the head being more parallel to one another than in the oval type 3. Round—more circular than the oval 4. Square—again, the sides of the face are more parallel than in the oval, with the face being wider and shorter than usual

5. Triangular—the lower part of the face is wider than the upper part

6. Inverted triangular—the upper part of the face, the temple area, is wider than the lower jaw area 7. Diamond—the central section of the face is wider, with the upper and lower extremities of the face narrowing down considerably

Frame Selection

To simplify the face shapes to help choose frame width and depth, the seven shapes can be condensed to the following fi ve shapes.

The oval face is considered normal and can wear almost any frame, so only the general rules apply.

An oval face is longer than it is wide, with balanced, soft proportions, a gently curved jawline, and cheekbones that are the widest part of the face, resembling an upside-down egg, and is often considered the most versatile face shape for hairstyles and makeup

Frame Selection

The oblong face is simply referred to as long. Both the round and the square face fall into the category of the wide face.

The erect or base-down triangular face is a category that does not lend itself to condensation.

For fitting purposes, the diamond face is included in the inverted or base-up triangular classifi ca tion, since these shapes are all fi t in basically the same manner. Using this simplifi ed system, a face may deviate from the normal in four essential ways: it may be either too long, too wide, or too triangular, with the base of the triangle up or down.

FRAME COLOR

When selecting frame colors, consider your skin's undertone (warm: gold, brown; cool: silver, blue) for harmony, your hair and eye color for contrast or accentuation (e.g., orange for blue eyes, dark frames for light hair), and your personal style (classic vs. bold) to find shades that enhance features, make a statement, or blend in, aiming for a complementary look.

Key factors in frame color

Skin Tone

Warm Undertones (golden, peach): Earthy tones like gold, brown, tortoise, warm greens, and orange.

• Cool Undertones (pink, blue): Silver, black, blue, purple, cool grays, and jewel tones.

Neutral Undertones: Versatile; can wear both warm and cool colors.

Hair Color

Dark Hair: Bold colors (black, deep blues, rich browns) provide strong contrast; clear or pastel frames can highlight lighter tones in your hair.

Blonde/Light Hair: Pastels, neutrals, or bold colors for contras

Eye Color

• Blue Eyes: Orange frames make them pop; tortoiseshell and brown also work well.
• Green Eyes: Red, gold, or purple offer a vibrant contrast.
• Brown/Amber Eyes: Any color works; bright green or blue creates contrast.

Hazel Eyes: Green, brown, or amber frames coordinate well.

Personal Style & Goal

• Classic/Subtle: Neutrals (black, tortoise, metallics).
• Bold/Statement: Vibrant colors, unique patterns that contrast with features.

Complementary: Colors that blend harmoniously with your features.

FITTING CONSIDERATIONS

Frame fitting considerations involve ensuring comfort and optimal vision by checking the bridge fit, temple pressure, and lens centering, while also matching the frame size and shape to your face, considering material and style, and ensuring the eyebrow line and cheek clearance are appropriate for clear, stable vision.

The Bridge

When the bridge is fixed, as in most plastic frames, the choice of the appropriate bridge is determined by how well the weight of the frame is borne on the nose. If the bridge is not properly selected, attempts to adjust the frame and the bridge to secure wearer comfort are exceedingly difficult and essentially hopeless.

The appropriate bridge is determined by its width, the position of its pads, the frontal angle of the bridge at the pads, the flare or splay angle of the pads, and the vertical angle of the pads. The bridge selected should not allow the eyewires to ride on the cheeks

The Significant Nasal Angles for Fitting

• Frontal angle
• Splay angle

The Crest Angle

Frontal angle

If the nose is observed from the front, it will be noted that the two sides form a frontal angle with each other, which if projected, would have its apex somewhere on the forehead and its base across the nostrils and tip of the nose. The angle with which each side deviates from the vertical is called the frontal angle

Splay angle

The splay angle is seen as the nose widens from front to back. It can be best visualized as if viewed from above and is at the level where the nosepads of the frame will rest.

The Crest Angle

Observing the face from the side reveals the crest angle of the nose: the angle from base to top compared with a vertical plane roughly parallel to the brows and cheeks

Temples

Selecting Frames for the High Minus Wearer

Selecting Frames for the High plus Wearer

Selecting Frames for children