Living the Framed Lifestyle
I love wearing my glasses. I always joke that when I pop them on, I’m plugging into HD. Not only do I see more clearly, they’re a core part of my personal look.
I wear a lot of cool tones, so it was important to me that my frames worked with my wardrobe. I also have a heart-shaped face with features built on the small side, so I can’t wear anything too big or square. Taking all this into account, I have clearly defined needs when it comes to selecting a new pair of frames.
When you’re looking for something specific, though, choosing from the selection offered in your ophthalmologist’s office can be a challenge. If square frames are in right now, that’s pretty much all they’ll stock, and if your eye doctor’s office is anything like mine, you’re stuck shelling out for designer labels at top dollar.
What a nightmare!
The Digital Age has saved us, though, with the aid of online shopping. Talking to representatives from GlassesUSA, one of the leading online retailers for eyeglasses, I’ve gotten some fantastic insights into how they’ve managed to redefine the way consumers buy vision solutions while maintaining relevance even as alternatives have become mainstays. Not only have they revolutionized how consumers can find affordable eyewear, but their Fashion & Design team makes sure the selections come in every shape, size, style, and color imaginable.
A Life-Long Relationship
I was thrilled when my ophthalmologist told my parents that I would need to start wearing glasses. I was about 11 at the time, so after he said that, a little ball of excitement wearing a pink t-shirt zipped over to the racks of frames. It was like looking at trays of lovely jewels at Tiffany’s! I’m in my twenties, now, but I still get a thrill when it’s time to pick a new pair of frames.
The good news is that you can pick new frames whenever you change your style or you decide you’ve outgrown that pink plastic pair you HAD to have when you were 11. The bad news is that options tend to be limited when purchasing directly from your doctor’s office. Companies like GlassesUSA make it their mission to offer the wide range of selections we really want that can grow with us and keep up with our evolving fashion sense.
A World of Choice
Whether you’ve committed to wearing glasses exclusively or you keep a pair as a back-up when you’re not wearing your contacts, the benefits of technology are on your side.
Remember when transitional lenses first came out? They were pretty horrible, weren’t they? My manager at the time wore them and would come in on a bright, sunny day and grumble about how her lenses took forever to change out of “sunglasses” mode. She’d sit there for a quarter of an hour, sometimes, waiting for them to work their magic.
Not the case today!
Digital lens crafting has upped the ante significantly and aided in refining how specialized vision solutions, such as transitional lenses, work. It’s also no longer under the exclusive purview of our eye doctors. GlassesUSA has their own optical lab, so the prescription you need is pulled together for you right there by their in-house technicians.
And that’s just where the customizability begins!
Of the range of options available, Hadar Nussbaum, Fashion designer & buyer for GlassesUSA, said, “Coatings, including tints in different colors, are also moving forward, in a way that allows customers to choose their own level of tint (lens darkness), both for fashion and eye comfort purposes. Our own head of design is using eyeglasses with digital block and a 10% tint, which has made a great difference for her in terms of eye strain and overall visual comfort.”
In the digital age, where we sit in front of computer screens all day, the ability to customize exactly how your lenses function not only to rectify faulty sight, but to enhance visual comfort is increasingly important.
The color, shape, density, and heft options for your frames are even more varied. I asked how a company like GlassesUSA finds ways to provide styles to fit the broad spectrum of tastes customers are looking for. Anya Geimanson, the company’s Senior VP of Product Management, suggested that the key is making tools available for consumers that enable them to match their look to the variety of styles, of which there are more every day. She pointed to GlassesUSA’s online Virtual Mirror, which allows you to upload a headshot and actually see what a set of frames would look like on your face before you buy them, as a prime example of giving control of the shopping experience to the customer. To fuel this tool, Nusbaum said, “We’ve also got curated collections that cater to trends and changing seasons — Bridal glasses, frames that match the summer festival look and more eclectic categories like lightweight glasses, retro chic and more…”
If there’s a look or trend you’re after, it’s there for you to find!
I was approached with the idea for this piece by GlassesUSA. The images included were provided by their Social Media Manager and supporting information & links were shared in order to aid my research of the topic. Paid content.
