Glasses
 

Normally I am not one to post a "Help me pick out X thread," and I don't think El Diablo would stand for it in any event. Hopefully this will turn into a much more extensive thread than that, but this is the germ: I need glasses.

A little background. When I was a kid, I wore coke-bottle glasses with thick black frames. Horrible things, like Ralphie from A Christmas Story, but black rims. When I went to take the driver's license exam when I was 16, I decided wtf, and slipped my goggles into my pocket for the eye exam. I passed. At that moment I decided that if the State of North Carolina in its infinite wisdom was going to let me tool around in a 2 ton motor vehicle with unassisted vision, I was never wearing glasses again, and I haven't.

I still get along fine. But I'm 35 now. My eyes are very tired at the end of the day. My left eye is significantly worse than my right. I probably won't do lasik or anything like that. My wife wants me to get glasses; she thinks I'll look very professorial. I think she just wants me to look old to co-eds. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

I have no idea what looks stylish in terms of eye glasses. I haven't worn them in almost 20 years now. I tried some on and they all looked horrific. With the obvious level of taste on display in the Going Out w/o Coming Out thread, I figured the El D.generates could hook me up.

So, help.

As payment for your help in this thread, you may photoshop me into the eyewear of your choice.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...g/a405115e.jpg

PS. The eye patch has been done.

Re: Glasses
 

Not that i have any idea at all what i'm talking about, but i think your facial hair may make glasses look worse than they would sans-beard.

Re: Glasses
 

I've never worn glasses, so I cannot help you other then to say whatever you feel confortable in should be your choice.

[ QUOTE ]
As payment for your help in this thread, you may photoshop me into the eyewear of your choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/2412/a405115eqb0.jpg

Re: Glasses
 

I don't know what style I'd go with, but try to get the frameless kind.

Plus, you're a science guy. Isn't there a rule that you need to have glasses before they hand you your degree?? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

EDIT

http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/483/a405115eji9.jpg

Re: Glasses
 

Boro,

I too need glasses and went through the same experience of hating every pair I tried on. I think in all likelyhood most of them were actually fine, but we get so used to our own faces, and attached to our self-images, that a drastic change like glasses is always going to look awkward to us, probably even if we actually look better for it. Not sure what my point is really, just that you probably look a lot better in the glasses you tried than you thought you did, so don't worry about it too much. My plan is to take someone with me who I trust knows better and let them choose for me. Or I might just do like you and ignore it as long as I can.

Anyway, your beard kind of reminded me of Johnny Depp in The Ninth Gate, so here is my recommendation... I think you could pull it off...

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4...nnydepplu4.jpg

Re: Glasses
 

[ QUOTE ]

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4...nnydepplu4.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

no offense to boro but I don't think we should be using Johnny Depp for inspiration. setting the bar a tad high.

Boro,

recently went with a friend who was getting glasses. Just go get checked and they will go through the whole process of trying on frames, talking to you about what looks best etc. That's really the only way to do it.

Re: Glasses
 

The key is don't pick them out yourself. Use the help of a female (or two or three), let them decide.

Re: Glasses
 

The real question here is why were you wearing thick glasses as a kid if you haven't needed them in your adult life until now.

Re: Glasses
 

Dawg,

I'm not the eyeglass donk, but a little more info would help. It sounds like you are mildly myopic (near-sighted), but the tired eyes at the end of the day don't really go with this. Do you see better at distance or near without glasses? Are you having to sit a little farther from the computer screen or reading material? If you have an old pair of glasses, could you start a fire with them? (and not by igniting them-- more like Piggie from Lord of the Flies)

Re: Glasses
 

[censored] pretty much said it all. The people working at those stores usually know stuff about skull shapes and facial structure that no hetrosexual man would know.

Be sure that you have some friends comment on how you look with the frame(s?) you like the best. Just remember that they are used to seeing you without glasses, and may be a bit biased like youself.

Re: Glasses
 

I switched to glasses recently, as this past fall was especially bad for my usual contact lens-wearing self allergy-wise. For many years, I hated glasses because even the lightest frames at the time were too heavy. On my most recent trip to the eyeglass store though, I found these frames that were ridiculously light, and barely noticeable on my face. They come in many different lens shapes and a variety of colors. You should check them out.

I also recommend having a girl or girls pick out a frame for you.

Re: Glasses
 

1)Don't dismiss the LASIK thing out of hand. I got it in April, and my vision is better than perfect...seriously...tested at 20/10, and it is the best thing ever, for the simple reason that I don't have to worry about needing to see, if I ever NEED to see.

2)Most eyeglass professionals have a decent idea of what is trendy, so go ask them. The phrase the optometrist always used for me was that the glasses should be there, but not there.

3)Your wife is hot. Stop worrying so much.

Re: Glasses
 

Boro,

Where do you think you're gonna buy them? If you're gonna go to like a LensCrafters or someplace like that, the people who work there are usually pretty good at giving you feedback on what looks good. I'll come back later w/ some specific recs.

Re: Glasses
 

is that your current facial hair arrangement?

If so that definitely needs some retooling in order for glasses to work IMO.

Re: Glasses
 

Boro,

Going with girls is definitely key. I spent a few months trying to find frames I liked to no avail; I went with a female friend and it took us 5 minutes to pick out frames that I liked and looked awesome. FWIW I see lots of young guys my age (21) wearing frames like these, I think they tend to look pretty good and professional.

If you really can't find glasses you (or your wife) likes, make sure you still fix your vision. When I got my glasses it was amazing how much better I could see - I spent the first few days looking at things with my glasses on, and then taking them off, and then putting them back on just to see the difference.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...fun/frames.jpg

Re: Glasses
 

Now that I see this picture, it is clear to me who is giving Borodog his information on global warming.

Re: Glasses
 

http://www.the11thhour.com/archives/...johnnydepp.jpg

Re: Glasses
 

[ QUOTE ]
Boro,

Where do you think you're gonna buy them? If you're gonna go to like a LensCrafters or someplace like that, the people who work there are usually pretty good at giving you feedback on what looks good. I'll come back later w/ some specific recs.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please do. I stopped into a place to see about an appointment, and while there I asked to try on some frames. The person there was a complete [censored], and basically told me everything I tried looked "great", and trust me, everything I tried did not look great. In fact, they all looked like [censored].

After I find a different place to go to, I will certainly be taking the wife along, and won't get anything that she won't sign off on. But I'd like to have some ideas ahead of time.

For the person who asked about the facial hair situation, I have a full, but shorter, goatee these days. So yeah, closer to the Johnny Depp/Ninth Gate picture.

Re: Glasses
 

the new borodog:
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/9428/boro2copyzz2.jpg

Re: Glasses
 

Was I horribly burned on the way to the eye-glass store?

Include a giant mole on my upper lip and you'll understand why I wear a goatee.

Re: Glasses
 

Whoops, apparently too slow on the johnny depp comparison, but I still think you look enough like him to use him as a comparable and evaluate yourself based on his appearance.

Re: Glasses
 

[ QUOTE ]
Boro,

Where do you think you're gonna buy them? If you're gonna go to like a LensCrafters or someplace like that, the people who work there are usually pretty good at giving you feedback on what looks good. I'll come back later w/ some specific recs.

[/ QUOTE ]

As you found out, Lenscrafters is crap. They work on commission and just want to sell you their most expensive pair of glasses.