How To Choose Glasses, According To Optometrists
Ultimately, how to choose glasses comes down to personal preference, but there are a few key factors to consider before you make your decision. In addition to your face shape, skin tone and lifestyle needs, your glasses should reflect your personal style and make you feel confident. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to browse, customize, try on—and even exchange or send back— frames from your home. Many sites, such as Warby Parker and GlassesUSA, allow you to renew expired prescriptions and work with a personal stylist to find the right pair.
How to choose glasses comes down to what makes you feel confident and reflects your personal style.
With hundreds of glasses options available, choosing the right one, whether in-store or in-person, can be overwhelming. To determine how to choose glasses, we consulted with several optometrists and deputy editor Kari Molvar, who holds a certificate in fashion styling from the Business of Fashion. Molvar herself has worn glasses for more than 30 years and oversees all eyewear content for Forbes Vetted.
Determine Your Face Shape
While everyone’s face is unique, face shapes can be a rough guideline for choosing a flattering pair of glasses. “Facial features and structure usually make a huge difference in the selection of glasses. The frame style can make or break a look, drawing attention to or highlighting certain features,” says Dr. Sharon Dao, an optometrist at Cosmopolitan Eyecare.
“An old general rule of thumb is to go for frames that are the opposite of your face shape to balance out proportions. For example, square glasses are usually ‘better’ for round faces, and round glasses are more suitable for square faces,” says Dao. Below, we’ve listed some common characteristics for different face shapes to help guide your decision.
Round Face Shape
Those with round faces typically have even proportions and soft features with no hard angles. While small round or oval frames may not be the most flattering, rectangular, square, geometric and cat-eye frames look great and can add a bit of contrast.
Oval Face Shape
Oval faces are longer and have an even width all the way down, or they might narrow slightly around the chin. Those with oval faces can wear most shapes, though you should avoid extremely oversized frames, as they disrupt your face’s even proportions.
Square Face Shape
A square face has a strong jawline and forehead and cheekbones roughly the same width. Round, oval, cat-eye or semi-rimless glasses can balance this face shape’s angular features.
Diamond Face Shape
If you have a diamond face shape, your cheekbones will be the widest point of your face and the most prominent feature. Other common features include a smaller chin and a narrow forehead. Cat-eye, round, oval, rectangular and aviator glasses are ideal for diamond-shaped faces.
Choose Colors That Complement Your Skin Tone
Your skin tone and undertone should also be considered if you want frames that complement your complexion. Your skin tone is determined by the amount of pigment (also known as melanin) in the uppermost layer of skin and can change with exposure to UV light. Undertones refer to the color beneath the skin that remains the same. In general, undertones can be divided into three categories: cool, warm and neutral. While the information below is a good starting point, these guidelines are subjective, and you should choose a color that makes you feel confident.
- Cool Skin Tones: Those with cool undertones have a pink or blue hue. When selecting frames, look for black, grey, silver or purple, and avoid bright yellow or orange.
- Warm Skin Tones: Conversely, those with warm undertones have a yellow or golden hue. Tan, beige, light tortoise, pink or red frames best suit those with warmer complexions.
- Neutral Skin Tones: If you have a mix of yellow and pinkish-blue hues, you have a neutral undertone and can choose almost any color. This undertone provides the most flexibility.
Consider Lifestyle Needs
When choosing a pair of glasses, think about your lifestyle and which features might be most helpful. Luckily, most online retailers offer various lens options with free returns or exchanges, so you can easily select something that suits your needs. For example, blue-light filtering or anti-fatigue lenses might be useful if you work on a computer. Alternatively, those who spend more time outside will appreciate light-responsive lenses that react to UV light and transition to a darker shade outdoors.
“Blue light coatings are great for heavy computer use. It helps to lessen eyestrain by reducing light scatter, improves sleep quality and dims the bright light of your monitor,” says Dr. Elena Rosen, an optometrist and owner of Maximeyes Optical. Blue light coatings usually cost around $50 and are a popular choice for many working adults, but it’s not considered a necessity. “The only patients I usually recommend it for are those suffering from chronic migraine headaches or have had a previous history of traumatic brain injury,” says Dao. For those with active lifestyles, look for durable, flexible and lightweight frames that won’t feel heavy or cumbersome on your nose bridge.
Find A Frame That Suits Your Personality
Eyeglasses are a great way to showcase your personality, as there are many unique shapes, fun colors and patterned frames. Think about the colors you tend to gravitate towards and what would work best with your current accessories. For example, if you prefer bold, bright colors and want something to match, opt for a dark turquoise or red frame. On the other hand, if you prefer neutral colors, you can’t go wrong with a classic pair of black glasses. When it comes to frame shapes, beyond the more common square, rectangle and round shapes, you can choose from geometric, aviator and cat-eye frames.
Upswept angles characterize cat-eye frames and have a fun yet sophisticated feel. Aviator frames are typically crafted from thin metal and feature a brow bar at the top. This style can have cable temples (also called curly temples, and the material curves over and behind your ears to prevent your glasses from sliding or moving around) or bayonet temples (the material goes straight back and hugs the head). As the name implies, geometric glasses have a bold, angular look and can be octagonal or hexagonal or a combination of those two shapes.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted team has researched, written and published dozens of eyewear stories, including roundups of the best prescription glasses online, best reading glasses and more.
- This article was overseen by deputy editor (and in-house style expert) Kari Molvar, who holds a certificate in fashion styling from the Business of Fashion. Molvar herself has worn glasses for more than 30 years.
- Katherine Louie, the author of this piece, is a lifestyle editor with extensive experience covering fashion and lifestyle topics. She is a nearsighted glasses-wearer who has spent countless hours selecting new frames both online and in person throughout her lifetime.
- Louie also gathered key insight and guidance from Dr. Elena Rosen, an optometrist and owner of Maximeyes Optical, and Dr. Sharon Dao, an optometrist at Cosmopolitan Eyecare.
- This article is regularly updated to ensure all of the above brands and products continue to meet our strict criteria.