Despite needing to wear eyeglasses or seeing others who do so, few actually understand the purpose of the different types of glasses. Before you purchase your next pair, be prepared on the type of glasses you may need.

Eyeglasses - those fashion accessories that cover our eyes. Do any of us really know what they’re used for and what each different type is meant to assist us with? Even though the role of eyeglasses is such an important one, few people do! Let’s examine the main types of daily-wear eyeglasses and provide an overview of what optical benefits they provide us with.

Safety glasses may be constructed from a variety of materials although they are usually made with shatter-resistant plastic lenses which protect the eye from any flying debris. This is especially important for people who are exposed to flying materials on a daily basis. This includes builders, mechanics, doctors, and carpenters - but the list goes on. Those who work in factories may actually require stronger lenses and a stronger frame with additional shields at the temples for a higher level of protection. Some safety glasses are even designed to fit over corrective glasses or sunglasses, while others are designed with prescriptive lenses. In the past, safety glasses were typically bulky and ugly, while today’s modern versions are often more stylish so as to encourage their use.

Sunglasses: may be made with either prescription or non-prescription lenses that are darkened to provide protection against the sun’s bright and harmful UVA and UVB rays. Photochromic lenses have further brought convenience to our lives by enabling us to own one pair of prescription glasses that serve as regular glasses indoors and transition to sunglasses when in UV light. The color of the tinted lens is also important to think about and anyone buying sunglasses should do their research into which color tints would be best for their needs. Celebrities have turned sunglasses into somewhat of a status and fashion symbol with fashion gurus and followers hankering after the latest trends - often even wearing their sunglasses for nothing but aesthetic reasons. Remember, always buy your sunglasses from a reputable source and ensure that they are made with special UVA/UVB protection - some of the el cheapos are not!

Ready-made reading glasses: Magnifying lenses or generic glasses that are used to treat mild optical distance concerns and can be bought off the shelf. You’ve seen them right? These glasses seem to be everywhere - you local drugstore, grocery store and/or department store. Yes, these glasses are fine if you have a very basic and low visual complaint BUT remember that preserving your eyes and your sight should always be your priority and so, having a thorough eye examination and then buying eyeglasses which are made up especially to match your new eyeglasses prescription, is always the ideal, preferred and suggested solution. This piece of advice will also lead you to suffer from fewer headaches, better eyesight and compete visual comfort. Also DO NOT let buying these types of glasses prevent you from going for your annual eye examination. This is essential to your overall optical health and can assist in heading off eye diseases before they become a serious problem.

Bifocals, trifocals, and progressive lenses (multifocal glasses): eyeglasses that provide different optical solutions for aging eyes that need to see on different optical levels for different distances. Traditional multifocal lenses have two or three distinct horizontal viewing areas in order to give the wearer two or three different focus points - whether short distance, long distance or in-between. Some modern multifocal lenses, such as progressive lenses give a smooth transition between these different focal points, and do not contain the tell-tale lines, so that no one will even know that they aren’t standard prescription glasses.

Corrective eyeglasses: used to correct distance vision problems such as nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism. These eyeglasses,very simply, significantly improve one’s quality of life by removing uncomfortable side-effects of not being able to see properly, such as squinting, headaches and blurred vision - not to mention the fact that you will actually be able to see clearly! A variety of coatings can be applied to prescription eyeglasses in order to protect them from scratches, and to protect the wearer against glares, the sun and so on. The eyeglass frames also come in a variety of materials which suit every possible need, lifestyle and desire.