If the Glasses Fit, I'd Wear Them

Rebecca
September 3, 2007

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went into the partly-Asian American owned eyewear store in San Francisco, HyperOptics Optometry. Now that I have insurance, it seems like a good idea to plunk some change on eyeglasses. I've been wearing contacts for the last several years, mostly because I love the idea of actually having peripheral vision, but also because my glasses are crooked. I had hit a zombie square on the head in a haunted house soon after I got them, and lo and behold, it was a real person who smacked me back. HARD. (Sorry zombie, but your head was covered in newspaper.) They flew off and were henceforth irretrievable from the land of crookedness.

I had thought that since the store was partly-Asian American owned (or wholly? I'm not sure), they would have frames that would fit my face. My wide, round, bridgeless face. I'm tired of glasses that fall off when I tilt my head down to read a book. I'm tired of them sailing into the distance when I do quick turns in a dance class. I want the lenses to be in front of my eyeballs, not the top of the frame.

Apparently, the store will install nose pads onto frames that don't have them, but they might look weird with plastic frames, which already have a nose landing area. I was really digging on some clear plastic ones, which have that retro-future appeal. Not to mention the quasi-invisibility, comparable to clear orthodontic braces. I started looking around on the web, but realized that I could take advantage of your expertise. So if you have any advice, please share. Also, if you're in any sort of position to start a frame company catering to Asian Americans, you might make a mint.

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Comments

Comments

Ginny wrote on Mon, 09/17/2007 - 8:19am
I have a pair of O & X frames I bought a few years back by Kio Yamato which are supposedly made for asian faces. I think they're great! He's got tons of really nice looking styles and colors. The plastic nose pads are longer than the average ones and so they sit higher up on the nose and not on my cheeks, causing shiny sweat marks on a hot summer's day. They don't slide down either.
Anonymous wrote on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 5:14am
Check out this website www.asianfiteyewear.com.
lisamac wrote on Tue, 09/04/2007 - 8:06am
brilliant post! i was going to post about glasses too a while back, but it would have just been me whining about having to wear them again after having contacts for 15 years. but i feel your pain! i just deal with pushing my glasses up all the time. and staying away from haunted houses.
momo wrote on Tue, 09/04/2007 - 9:18am
oh my, this is so true. i have worn contacts for ages and the last pair or prescription glasses i have are from like 1997. i also thought about getting some new frames, especially since i have been waking up in the middle of the night these days, but yeah, i have a wide face and no frames seem to fit. they are usually too small and give me a headache. !! so annoying. also, glasses just plain give me a headache because of lack of peripheral vision. they should make stylish wrap-around frames with a nosebridge or something. good luck with the search and please tell me if you find any good ones.
seng wrote on Thu, 09/06/2007 - 7:18am
Oakley has been making "Asian-fit" versions of a few of their frames for a few years now. Maybe other companies do as well, but I don't know about them.
rebecca wrote on Thu, 09/06/2007 - 9:05am
Yeah, I saw the Oakley website when I was doing my searching, but then again--they're Oakleys! I think it's awesome they make an Asian fit. But I need ones that I can see through.
kerbot2000 wrote on Sun, 09/09/2007 - 5:05pm
i have heard good things about prodesign and kata eyewear (although i don't have any personal experience with them). they are also a little pricey -- ah, the triple whammy of being an asian hipster! good luck kids.
seng wrote on Tue, 09/11/2007 - 10:15pm
I had a set of Kata frames for many years- they fit great (as should any adjustable metal frames) but after the architect look had passed, I looked, well, maybe a little FOBy (except for my American haircut). Not surprising, perhaps, since the frames were bought in Hong Kong.RE: Oakleys- yes, I was torn about looking like, well, someone who wears Oakleys, but since they were sports-oriented sunglasses, I decided that fit was more important. BTW, you can take most sunglasses (except wraparounds) to your preferred optometrist and have the lenses replaced- much cheaper than buying actual glasses frames in many cases. Talk about hipster!