Amy Framed Me!

Now that you know who works in the eyecare center or optical shop, let's talk about eyeglasses!
Some of the intimidation factor of making a pricey investment like eyeglasses, comes from no knowing much about the product.  While eyeglasses are too complex to learn about in one session, hopefully as time goes on, you will learn much from these posts.
To get started, I will introduce you to the the frame styles.  I often hear older patients talking about how limited their choices were in eyeglasses when they were a kid.  "They all looked the same, and we could choose brown or black."  I hear horror stories about being forced to wear cat-eye glasses or military-issue styles (think Drew Carey), and how crushing a blow it was to the wearer's self-esteem.  But now, there are millions of styles to choose from, from the ornate to the geek-chic (again, think Drew Carey), it's truly a buyer's market.  With competetive and complex designs, frames come in all shapes, materials, sizes and colors, but the tried and true have stood the test of time.  There are three main styles of frames that are most common today.
First, is the "Full frame" also sometimes referred to simply as a metal frame or a plastic frame, depending on the material it's made of.  In the industry, we call this a hide-a-bevel.  In the full frame, the frame material completely encloses the lens.  These frames are available in a number of different materials but the most common are metal (most commonly an alloy called Monel)  and plastic (AKA zyl or acetate).  The main difference?  Metal frames almost always have nosepads, and plastic frames almost never do.

Semi-rimless.  This is a combination of metal and plastic semi-rimless.  See the metal bridge piece?
Model: Marc by Marc Jacobs 457 by Safilo Group

Some semi-rimless frames are open on the side instead of the bottom.
Model: Helium 4115EA by Match Eyewear

A full frame in plastic.  There are so many choices in colors and style these days.
Model: Banana Republic Anissa by Safilo Group

A full metal frame, classic and timeless.
Model: Tura 694 by Tura

The next style that is common today, is the semi-rimless.  This frame has metal or plastic only on part of the frame, while a thin nylon cord holds the lens in place via a groove cut into the lens edge.  Because chipping is likely, a chip-resistent lens material (Trivex) is most highly recommended.  It will make your glasses last much longer and resist damage.
The last style that is popular today is called a drill mount frame.  This type of "frame" is really three pieces of frame that are held together by the lens itself.  Because your lens needs to be drilled through and also takes the brunt of any impact on the glasses, a chip-resistent material is necessary.  Of note: if you come across any drill mount frames that have screws/nuts holding the lens in, avoid them like the plague!  They often loosen and fall apart too easily and require steady hands for the near-constant maintenance they need.  Also, some of the drill mount styles come "hingeless".  I have seen far too many of them break where the hinge should be, and they are impossible to adjust.  I am not a fan of the hingeless models.

A drill mount frame with hinges.  A very lightweight and durable choice, but ladies beware: they don't hide wrinkles!
Model: Aero F12 by Match Eyewear

Here is a hingeless drill mount. 

Sometimes I have patients tell me, "I've been told I have to have a full frame because of my prescription."  There are some opticians who'd like to make decisions for you, or perhaps they just use a lab that isn't very good at mounting higher prescriptions.  The truth is, until your prescription gets up over -9.00, you can choose any of the three styles mentioned.  Are your lenses going to be thick? Yes.  Are they going to be visible to others? Yes.  Does that bother you?  That is not up to me to answer any more than if you will be happy wearing a bright purple frame.  A good optician will help you choose a few flattering styles, based on what you tell them you like/how you want to look, and give you the pros and cons of each, so you can make a decision based on what is important to you.  If you feel like you are not getting that kind of service, or if someone is telling you that you "can't" or "Shouldn't" choose certain styles due to your prescription, get a second opinion.