The Celebrity Power of Designer Glasses
The right Designer Glasses can make the man (or woman!).Designer glasses have come into their own in recent years with names like Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Prada, or Tommy Hilfiger being seen in most opticians’ windows.Often it’s the other way round.  Sophia Loren, who now has her own range of designer glasses bearing her name, was once more associated with Foster Grant,   at least for sunglasses.She was the mainstay in the “Who’s That Behind Those Foster Grants?”  advertising campaign (voted among the best 100 campaigns ever) along with Raquel Welch and Mia Farrow
John Lennon was indistinguishable from the round lens Windsor style.  First introduced as far back as 1880, the iconic round lens (in a variety of colours), nose saddle with no nose pads and temples that loop behind the ear became a “must have” and is now much more commonly referred to as a “Lennon”.    That’s unfair really.They could just as easily been called after Ernest Hemingway, Groucho Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, or Joseph Stalin - although a pair of Groucho’s does sound rather better than a pair of Stalin’s.
In comedy, you only have to look as far as the two Ronnies.  Messer’s Corbett and Barker flaunted their horn rims, and indeed the specs were all the logo the show needed.Where would Harry Hill be without his ludicrous glasses and would he really be able to deliver stupid lines like; “I have a really nice stepladder. Sadly, I never knew my real ladder.” without them?
Surely the most cringingly corporate, sickeningly sycophantic and ultimately naff designer glasses were Steve Wozniak’s, then of Apple Computers, who went so far as to have Apple -shaped glasses made for him.Steve Jobs didn’t seem to like them much obviously.  Some celebrity designer glasses are not intended to boost ego and effect, but to improve performance.The best example of this must be snooker player Dennis Taylor’s famous glasses, designed by Jack Karnehm, better known as BBC TV’s snooker commentator from 1978 to 1993. Having served a five-year spectacle-making apprenticeship, he made Taylor’s distinctive, swivel-lens, upside-down design.Those designer glasses helped Taylor win the 1985 world snooker title and made him seem almost exotic!
Perhaps the most unusual celebrity designer glasses wearer was Eric Sykes.A comedy genius, Sykes was never seen without his black horn rims.But that was due to the fact that he became profoundly deaf as an adult.The glasses Sykes wore had no lenses at all and were really a bone-conducting hearing aid. Designer glasses, what celebrity are yours?

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To a few, it’s super metro Aviators as in Top Gun.Others might mean Ray Bans as in the Blues Brothers or the Big Lebowski.  Everyone reckons that “His Dudeness” is wearing Ray-Ban’s, however they are not the traditional ones we know and love.Perhaps they are a discontinued line as most of the wardrobe in the movie was Bridges’ personal gear!   Not many are thinking Dr Strangelove when it comes to designer sunglasses!   For others it might just be the brand name of their designer sunglasses that’s vital:  Animal, Burberry, D&G, Diesel, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Ray-Ban, Prada, Tommy Hilfiger or YSL.
Why is “Cool” such a big deal?After all, the basic task of sunglasses, even if they are designer sunglasses, is to provide protection from dangerous UV rays.The main job of sunglasses is to protect your eyes from UV radiation, even more important with Ozone layer depletion.The minimum you should demand is that they prevent glare.
“Cool” is just the commercialisation of peer group pressure.Cool is merely the development of what we did as infants: attitudes and mannerisms that generated the most positive response from the people we most wanted to impress.As a teen, friends and peers are the most important people.For gown ups, those people are more likely to be the opposite sex - or same if that’s your bag.
Remember, don’t be influenced by just the brand name. Whatever the brand, buy the ones that look best on you. The same style of sunglasses can look completely different on different face shapes.Purchase sunglasses that suit the shape of your face, your hair colour and complexion. Take things like frame colour and shape into consideration when choosing. Choose frame colours that complement your skin tones when buying sunglasses.  If you’re that fashion conscious that you want to match designer sunglasses with the outfits you wear, then go crazy! Buy several pairs to go with your extensive wardrobe.
Let’s not start to dismiss the notion of “Cool” altogether, because self esteem is also important.We all need to feel good about ourselves. Even more important, and the one thing we have total control over, is what we actually do with our own abilities.  That is the secret of self-esteem.   And if thinking you look cool or good in a pair of designer sunglasses reinforces that perception and self esteem and encourages you to be confident and assertive, then where’s the harm in that?

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Your sight is precious.You’ve only got one pair of eyes and when they go, they can’t be replaced!  So when you get to the point of  not seeing things at a distance quite as clearly as you used to, or not being able to read up close, then it’s time to look at getting  glasses.  Prescription Glasses for reading in particular are custom-made for each individual after an eye test.Visit your optician (ideally every two years) to check your prescription and correct any faults at the time of the test.  You can then use that same information to purchase prescription glasses at any outlet or on the Internet.
Cost drives many people to consider buying “ready-made” reading glasses at a pharmacy or department store. They’re certainly popular, but depend entirely on “self diagnosis” in the store.They may be cheap, but given the very competitive optical market, you can get prescription glasses at very attractive prices too.  Online providers like SelectSpecs.com offer an impressive range of budget prescription glasses to suit virtually any taste.
The major drawback of purchasing “off the shelf” pharmacy reading glasses is that they are essentially “one-size-fits-all”.  The prescription is the same in both lenses, and the location of the optical centre of the lens is not customised as it would be prescription glasses.Hardly anyone has exactly the same prescription in both eyes.Glasses that are too far off your actual prescription can cause headaches, eyestrain, and even nausea.
The other, more serious problem with “ready made” reading glasses is why people purchase them. If you head to the chemist rather than the doctor when you’re feeling under the weather because you “don’t want to bother the GP”, then you could be ignoring a complaint that’s more serious than you thought.The same can be said about your sight.If you buy off the shelf, you could unknowingly have a serious problem like Glaucoma.
Off the Shelf glasses are usually only available as single vision.Bifocal lenses contain two distinct optical elements in the lens that correct distance and near vision.  Varifocal lenses enable the power of the lens to graduate smoothly from one prescription to the other, allowing the wearer to see clearly at all distances.Far better suited to most people’s lifestyle and activities, these types of lens are only available in properly dispensed prescription glasses.  Prescription sunglasses can also be made with single-vision, bifocal or varifocal designs to offer the same standard of vision enhancement and protection.Your vision is worth almost any price.Don’t jeopardise your sight and insist on properly prescribed and dispensed prescription glasses.

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Most of us wouldn’t go out in the hot sun without at least one application of sunscreen. However, many still risk damage to their eyes without the proper UV protection good quality sunglasses can provide. Buying a pair of sunglasses with UV filtering will make sure you are protected and let you enjoy yourself in the sun.

The number one tip is to always make sure you are wearing sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection when you are in the sun no matter what month of the year it is. 

Skiers and snowboarders need to make sure they are protected however odd this may sound. While the air is chilly, the harmful rays can reflect off the snow during winter and increase their intensity. There is no point in taking the risk of retina damage or increasing your chances for developing cataracts, which has been linked to extended UV radiation exposure.

If you want a good pair of sunglasses for wearing while driving, you may want to check out polarised lenses. These type of lens usually offer UV protection and will help to reduce the glare of the sun of those bright days while out in the car. Wrap around Oakley sunglasses also offer additional protection while you are out and about. Choose brown, green or grey lenses and the larger the lenses are, generally the more protection they will offer. 

It is always a good idea to buy your sunglasses (whether it be offline or online) from a licensed supplier of branded goods. This is not just to ensure you really are getting authentic Chanel sunglasses, D&G sunglasses or other brand you choose. Buying from unauthorised vendors or from street markets is very risky and there is no guarantee that the shades will offer the level of protection against UR rays required.

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