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Selecting Eyeglasses and Frames
For your Nearsighted Correction

If you are nearsighted, corrective eyeglasses can give you sharper vision. To grind the optical power into the glass for a nearsighted correction results in concave lenses. These lenses are thicker at the edges than in the center. When you select your frames for holding these lenses, you should be aware that the frames you like the most may not be the best choice for you to wear.

Why Does Lens Size make a Difference?

The eyeglass frame determines the size of your lenses so you need to know some basic facts before selecting a frame.

With concave lenses, larger lenses mean thicker edges. In addition, the more nearsighted you are, the thicker the edges will be. The result is added weight, distortion of vision when you look through the edges, and visible rings around the edges. If you are considering designer frames that hold large lenses, and you have a large correction, the optical fitter will have more difficulty positioning the centers of the lenses accurately in front of each eye.  The eyeglasses may give you a strange visual sensation when you first place them on, especially if your last lenses were much smaller. Objects may look wavy, curved, distorted, or crooked, or the floor may appear to be coming up towards you. Fortunately, most of the time theses sensations disappear after a few days time.

Is there a Solution?

Talk to your optical dispenser about ways to minimize any problem. Weight can be lessened, and the look of “thick” glasses can be improved by having your lenses specially made of denser (high index) glass, which can be ground thinner. Plastic, polycarbonate lenses are another option; they are lighter in weight and safer too.  The rings seen around the edge can be minimized by having the sides of the lenses coated to match the frames and by having an anti-reflection coating put on the lenses.

If you select frames that hold smaller lenses, the only drawback is that the frames will be more apparent in your field of vision.