Eyeglasses
Eyeglass Frames
| Plastic Frames | Frames made of a variety
of plastics (nylon, zyl, polycarbonate) are excellent in durability
and comfort. The most important thing to consider when looking
for a plastic frame is to look for one that fits your nose
well, or to have one custom fit to your nose. Plastic frames
are also good at hiding lens thickness often found in higher
prescriptions. As an added benefit, plastic frames are hypoallergenic-
meaning your skin will not react to the material (read Metal
Frames to find out more) |
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| Metal Frames | Metal frames offer greater adjustability to specific faces and, when paired with soft silicone nosepads, are very comfortable. The most common material used in metal frame manufacturing has traditionally been a nickel alloy, making these frames difficult for persons with nickel allergies (many people do have this allergy- just look for green deposits near the nosepads or temples of your current glasses). Hypoallergenic metals are available, however, and include stainless steel and titanium. Titanium frames are very strong and have a slight "memory" property, making them flexible (although not as flexible as true memory-metals).
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| Flex-Frames (Memory Metals) | These are the infamous "twist
and tie" frames (although most won't put-up with overly-repeated
bending and twisting). Flex frames are excellent for adults
or children who are rough on their eyewear. Most are composed
of hypoalergenic materials. |
| Semi-Rimless Frames | Semi-rimless frames have
always been a sought-after choice that has continued to grow
in popularity. These frames have an eyewire on part of the
lens, while the remaining part of the lens seems suspended.
They are cosmetically appealing, yet usually require a polycarbonate,
trivex, or hi-index material to be used in lens manufacturing
to eliminate chipping of the lens at the site of lens mounting. |
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| Drill-Mount Frames | The lightest and least-conspicuous
frames available, drill-mount frames have no eyewire around
the lens at all. The temples (side pieces) and bridge (middle
part that sits on your nose) are actually drilled into the
lens to make a complete eyeglass. Trivex is the most compatible
lens material with this style of mounting, in order to eliminate
lens cracking or chipping at the drill-sites. These frames
also come in a variety of metals, although titanium is the
most durable, stainless steel is second, and nickel frames
are not recommended in this style of frame. |
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| Safety/Sport Frames | Safety frames come in a variety of materials and designs, most are like their regular eyeglass counterparts, but these meet or exceed ANSI safety standards. Sport frames are an entirely different breed, however, as these frames are expecting to get hit. As such, they are designed to maintain comfort for the wearer even during an impact (when's the last time you took a basketball to your face and didn't really mind?). Many of these frames are semi-sport specific, and include racquetball/tennis, basketball, shooting and biking glasses, as well as ski, atv, and paintball goggles. Due to safety concerns, olycarbonate is the recommended lens choice for these frames. |
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