An eyeglass case can come in many styles and materials. The first style is what’s called an eyeglass pouch. Because these are the least expensive, they are usually the ones that our providers gives us with our brand new glasses. They offer adequate scratch protection but because they are made of either fabric, vinyl or leather, they offer little protection when it comes forces that are crushing in nature.

The next style is what’s called a clamshell or a top opening eyeglass case. It’s name is derived from the fact that the lid opens and shuts, pivoting on a hinge, mimicking the actions of a clam. These cases can be made in plastic, leather or metal and offer excellent protection.

The third style that you can find are handbags. This is the style that can best be described as looking like a mini-purse or pocketbook because of the small handles they have. In my opinion, these are the most stylistic and fashionable of all the cases and can really add to the “finished look” you are trying to achieve when getting ready for a night on the town.

The last type that you will find is a style called the flip top. A flip top can best be described as having a tube-like shape with a top that opens and closes on one end. They are made of either plastic or metal, come in a variety of colors and like the clamshells, offer great protection.

The fashion quotient of any eyewear is determined by the fact whether celebrities endorse them or not. If people find a particular pair of sunglasses being used by a very popular, famous and pretty model, the demand for the brand increases.

The loyalties of the masses to the designs and styles of sunglasses is often determined by the choices celebrities make.

Celebrities flaunt sunglasses better than most others and it seems as if no celebrity is willing to be seen in public without a pair of their favorite sunglasses perched on the bridge of their nose.

A quick peek into the celebrity world reveals the very interesting preferences of the celebrities when it comes to choosing sunglasses.

Celebrities Who Sport Fashionable Eyewear

The choice of the glitterati helps the common man deduce the latest trends in eyewear for the season. Fashion celebrities often act as the barometer to gauge the hottest choices for the season. Some celebrities who sport eyewear include:

o Catherine Zeta Jones has floored many critics with her natural talent and spontaneity. She is also known to be very particular about her fashion sense.
She has been seen sporting a Dolce & Gabbaba sunglass. This choice suits her face as the big and bold shades look classy on her sharp features.

o Nick Albert can be safely described as being obsessed with looking fashionable. Even something as small as a pair of sunglass does not escape his attention. He permits nothing other than designer sunglasses to adorn his face.

o Paris Hilton can be safely described as a star who has attained global fame and global notoriety. She sports a pair of the new Oakley Sunglasses. Interestingly, she prefers shades from a line launched exclusively for women.

o For Heidi Klum, nothing other than her classic Aviator sunglasses will suffice. This super girl cum super model has preferred Ray Ban sunglasses in the past. She prefers big shades that completely cover the eye.

o Carmen Electra can be seen with a pair of Missoni sunglasses perched on her face. She too prefers oversized sunglasses. Big sunglasses have made their comeback primarily on the basis of the fact that beautiful models prefer these glasses.

o It is difficult to say whether Michael Jackson contributed to the popularity of sunglasses or vice versa. His latest choice of eyewear happens to be Surplus Military Aviator sunglasses. The frames of these glasses are made of formulates steel.

If you do not watch movies or if you have (gasp) not heard about any of the names mentioned above, then perhaps some more information about choices of celebrity eyewear is in order.

Theodore Roosevelt sported eye wear practically at all times. In case you are wondering who he was, the description that he was one of the greatest presidents of USA should suffice.

The beacon of non violence, Mahatma Gandhi, preferred Windsor style eyeglasses. These glasses, first introduced in the 1880′s, still remain in demand.

For starters, most children who need eyewear are either nearsighted or farsighted. Depending on the degree of visual correction necessary, your eye doctor will prescribe glasses for full-time or part-time wear. Some kids will be instructed to take off their glasses while they do school work while others may be asked to wear their glasses throughout the day.

At times your eye doctor will make specific instructions about suitable eyeglass frames. But that decision often is left to you, your child and the optical dispenser who fits the glasses.

Lens Thickness

The prescription is always the most primary thing for choosing the glasses. Before looking for frames consult with your optician. If the prescription reads strong lenses that are likely to be thick, it is important to keep the frames as small and light as possible to reduce the final lens thickness. Moreover the larger the lens the more are you going to see distortion and blur towards the edges. Smaller lenses cut off peripheral blur.

Fashion Forward

Whether they are full-time or part-time eyeglass wearers, most kids get a little teasing about their specs, especially the first time they wear them. Children feel more comfortable about wearing their glasses if they are allowed to choose their own frame. Children generally tend to avoid anything that is termed as ‘uncool’, but as a parent you need to provide proper guidance if you think a particular frame is inappropriate or very expensive.

Proper Bridge Fit

One of the most important thing about choosing eyewear for children is the fir over the nose as it is not yet developed and don’t have a bridge to prevent plastic frames from sliding down the nose. Metal frames are made with adjustable nose pads, so they fit everyone’s bridge. Each frame must be evaluated individually to fit the bridge. If any gap exists between the bridge of the frame and the bridge of the nose the weight of the glasses will cause it to slide, no matter how well the frame seems to fit before the lenses are made.

Warranties

Most optical retailers offer a warranty plan that will replace eyewear at no charge or very less price in case of damage to the frames or lenses. Consider opting for warranty if your child is a toddler or a first-time wearer.

You need to be aware because all warranty plans are not the same. It is your advantage to look through completely about replacement costs with or without the warranty plan. Generally, if the warranty costs you less or the same amount or about the same as the fee to replace one single lens, it is worth the price. It is easier to scratch the lens than do any other damage to the lens. If the lens is scratched you need to change the lens because it can compromise on your child’s vision development.

Back up Pair

If your child’s poor vision causes difficulty then you might think of buying a back up pair for your child. If something happens to it or it is out for repair you can use the back up pair.

The doctor would prescribe glasses and you would need to order proper frames so that the child is comfortable wearing it. Since it is not possible to take independent decisions here, it would be better if you follow the doctor’s advice. For selecting the right kind of frames, you need to rely on what the opticians tell you. For instance, if due to high power the lenses are very thick, then the frame should be small enough to balance the glasses properly on the child’s nose.

Children will never wear anything that they don’t feel comfortable in, so it’s important to take care of this issue. If your child is very concerned about his looks, you can go for thinning down the lenses a bit, which will give a decent appearance to the child. So he will be able to satiate his desire of looking cool as well.

o If the eye doctor suggests constant use for the spectacles, make sure that the child does so. With constant usage, though, the eyes start getting too dependent on the glasses so it’s important to let the eyes breathe as well, for which eye exercises are a must. So if for a little while the kid works without spectacles, it is okay. However, while reading, watching TV, playing games on the computer, or any other activity which strains the eyes, he must wear the glasses.

o If not glasses, your child would do with plastic lenses. They are very durable, unlike the ones made of glass. Your child can look fashionable in metal frames, which are more popularly known as ‘wires.’

For being on the safe side, consider spectacles made of polycarbonate, which is used in making a bulletproof glass. They can easily avoid being scratched and has a coating for protection from ultraviolet rays. Besides, it is even lighter than ordinary plastic so it is worth buying. Prescription sunglasses and sports goggles are also good options. The former ones can be provided with an additional layer of coating for UV rays protection.

In case of constant use, it makes a lot of sense to have two pairs of glasses made, as the back-up one would come into play if the kid breaks the current pair of glasses. So take proper care of the child’s eyes as well. Remember that all eye diseases are not only prone to adults – children are ass prone to eye diseases as well!

1. Budget
Your budget is going to determine the types of frames you will buy. There are frames that cost a few dollars and then there are frames that cost thousands. The difference is the materials used and the designer. Most spectacle frames you buy at the eye doctor are heavily marked up so while you can try them to see how they look on your face, unless you have insurance or a coupon, shop elsewhere.

2. Shop online
Many online vendors will sell you lens and frames for under $50 and that includes taxes and shipping. How is that possible? Well, they don’t do ridiculous markups like the retail shops. The only downside is that you can’t try the frame on before you wear it. However, if you know a certain frame works, then buy it.

3. Styles
If you have a square face, you should wear rounded glasses to offset that. If you have a round face, you should wear squarish glasses. Thin frames are advised for fatter people. Fat frames are advised for thinner people. Current styles, however, favor thick plastic frames that have a retro look to them. However, that’s a trendier design. Unless you change your glasses every year, don’t buy that.

4. Comfort
Glasses must be fitted correctly around your eyes, nose and ears. This is a big part of choosing the right spectacle frames. If spectacles don’t rest comfortably on the bridge of your nose, you simply will not wear them. Spectacle frames are something that you should feel comfortable wearing for long periods at a time.

Robert Downey Jr. has been photographed with John Varvatos eyewear titanium framed aviator sunglasses. They are a little bit trendy and a lot sophisticated. Though Mr. Downey wore them in Grey/Gunmetal, Black and Brown Titanium frames are also available. They cannot accept prescription lenses. Stacy Keibler looks very cool when grabbing a bite and wearing her John Varvatos oval framed sunglasses. Her frames of choice are black with grey lenses, but you can also try the amber tortoise frames or tortoise and horn frames. Both have brown gradient lenses. This is great for guys and gals.

Dennis Leary was wearing John Varvatos eyewear upon arrival at a recent awards show. These are oval metal frames that look great on any shape face. They are available with black frames and lenses, brown frames and lenses or silver frames and lenses. All sunglasses and eyewear in the John Varvatos sunglasses collections have filigreed detailing with clean aerodynamic lines and contemporary shapes. Embossed or laser engraved signature logo are on each of his frames. All metal frames are made of titanium, for lightweight comfort. Most have adjustable nose guards for customized fit.

Oakley is a brand that is relatively new in the market, but is a dynamic, fast-moving player. It is quite difficult to call even its older models “vintage Oakley,” since this particular brand prides itself on coming out with new and better models all the time – it may be more apt to say a pair of sunglasses is only either an Oakley or an outmoded Oakley. But come the time, its recent high-tech, state-of-the-art styles will be treasured by collectors, as well!

Ray-Ban is one of the oldest and most trusted names in fashion eyewear. As such vintage Ray-Bans may not be all that hard to find. People have collected Ray-Bans since Hollywood made sunglasses in general famous during the late 30s and early 40s. The Ray-Ban company has experimented with many styles, setting the trend for different heydays of sunglasses – from time to time it even revives its own retro styles, such as when it re-released its 1983 Wayfarer line of sunglasses in late 2006. No matter how Ray-Ban makes its way through the market, it will remain a household name in shades.

Revos are distinctive. As with all vintage shades, authenticity is important, but it gains just that much extra importance with a Revo. These shades were originally manufactured by a NASA engineer, who decided it might be marketable to create wearable lenses out of the material used to protect the portholes of satellites from solar emissions – and was right. Revo lenses are prized for their durability and top-rate UV protection, not to mention their classy frames. Vintage Revos would be a remarkable addition to any collector’s trove.

Some retro sunglasses come in quirky styles that would appear humorous, and even downright ridiculous, to a less colorful generation – tapered ends, heart and star shapes, glitter paint, the works. But don’t knock it, because these sunglasses may well be the single accent that your boring wardrobe needs. Then again, retro may not always mean quirky – it can also mean classy. You can’t go wrong with vintage Oakley, Ray-Ban and Revo sunglasses.

o Nowadays, you can opt for broad, sleek, patterned or even, inscribed frames. Some people end up buying frames suited to the apparels that are housed in their wardrobe. Buying more than one specs might seem quite lavish to you. But trust me, if you shop for them online, you can get them at reasonable prices than the ones bought from retail outlets. This is possible because the online business model is so designed that it helps the customer reap gains.

A lot of cost goes into setting up a land based shop and maintaining it. But this isn’t the case for an entrepreneur who conducts business on the Internet. The percentage saving that is made by the seller is offered in the form of discount to the consumer. Also, branded goods are highly priced. It is nothing but the name which incurs the exorbitant cost. The same frames, may be more fashionable and of a better quality, can be available at a much lesser price, if you are ready to compromise with that ornamental name.

o The right kind of frame can help define and enhance your personality. If you feel serious and think serious, go for the broad, stiff frames while, the more happy-go-lucky, casual people might opt for the funky, unzipped frames. Donning on a stylish eye-gear can bring about a complete personality makeover. Some eyewear have hinges and springs attached to the sides which make them both flexible and comfortable. For those who have a sensitive skin, it is suggested you opt for fiber frames instead of the ones made of metal.

o Eye glasses are also available in different color shades. You can choose one with your favorite color or something that matches the outfit you are wearing or your hair color. Even contact lenses come in myriad colors and you can easily deceive people with differently coloring your eye-balls every alternate day. Turquoise, natural brown, sea-green, azure blue, violet, hazel-nut are some of the vibrant and more popular colors that people opt for.

o Metal frames though not suited to some, but have a greater shelf life. They are no more those heavy-weight stuff that our grandfathers used to wear. They are extremely light-weight, fashionably designed and scratch proof. Photo chrome glasses also prevent us from the harsh UV rays of the sun. It turns grey or brown when we move out into the sun thereby, keeping our eyes cool.

o Men have a wide variety to choose from. Some might go for popeye glasses or glasses made of resonance. Also available are acrylic or polycarbonate plastic lenses which are shock resistant and there is no fear of breakage. On the other hand, for women more artistic and embellished frames are available. Just like any other piece of jewelry or accessory. They need to select one which suits them most with much ado.

Thus, those with specs no more need to feel inferior. You can go about sporting a stylish look without your peers and colleagues no longer chiding and chirping behind you. They might even get jealous about your fashionable makeover.

You need to pick a good quality lens like Polycarbonate. They come in several lens rating.

Polycarbonate Lenses are durable, lightweight, and shatter resistant. Polycarbonate Lenses are preferred by most performance eyewear manufacturers and provide maximum eye protection for motorcycle riding, water sports, winter sports and hunting etc…

When picking out Polycarbonate Lenses, make sure they provide 100% UVA and UVB protection and meet ANSI Z87.3 optical standards for UV protection and optical clarity.

Polarized Lenses, although tinted lenses offer to reduce brightness, only polarized lenses eliminate glare. This is achieved by placing a thin sheet of polarized film between two layers of material. Polarized lenses are excellent for fishermen, boaters, skiers and anybody that needs to eliminate glare. These lenses are great for night driving and anybody that’s sensitive to light.

Smoked Lens: Great all purpose lens. Natural color perception.

Smoked Reflective Lens: Neutral grey lens with reflective surface for very bright conditions.

Dual Grade Reflective Lens: Gradient grey lens with a mirror coating, which reflects light away from above and below the eye, making eyes more comfortable for long periods of time.

Amber Lens: Filters blue light, offers excellent contrast. Offers heightened definition in bright, overcast, and flat conditions.

Yellow Lens: Filters hazy blue light to increase brightness and contrast in low light, rainy and cloudy conditions.

Clear Lens: For night riding or low light conditions, also you want 100% UVA and UVB protection with these lenses to.

Clear Reflective: Good for night use and low light conditions. Reflects light away from above and below the eye. Good for use against headlights.

Brown Lenses: Sharpens contrast and increases depth perception. Good for medium to bright light.

Photochromic Lenses: They automatically adjust to the amount of ultra-violet light that enters the lens. Photochromic lens comes in different transmission rates, transmission rate is the amount of visible light penetrating the lens and reaching the eye. The higher the transmission rate, the lighter the lens color. Clear lens have a transmission rate of 80 to 100% and typical smoked lenses have a transmission rate between 8 to 18%. Photochromic lenses DO NOT get as dark as traditional smoked lens.

Visible Light Transmission (V.L.T.): The amount of light to reach the eyes through the lens.

Photochromic lenses come in different transmission rates, You can get clear to just grey, or grey to very dark. They come in clear/ grey photochromic, or orange photochromic.

Firstly I am a massive fan of the Matrix and as soon as I seen the Matrix Eyewear site I wanted to buy them. However I am skeptical of buying of the internet and didn’t buy the sunglasses straightaway it took me a few days to finally go for it.

Matrix Eyewear sell the sunglasses from the Matrix trilogy. obviously they aren’t the exact same ones that the actors wore in the film otherwise they would cost an absolute fortune. Matrix Eyewear have sunglasses from 6 characters from the films, morpheus, neo, trinity, seraph, the twins and agent smith. There are three sunglasses to choose from if you want neo’s, 1 for each film in the trilogy and the other characters glasses are from the Matrix reloded. They also have an exclusive version of the twins sunglasses which is one of the pairs that I ordered.

The website is easy to use, professional looking with the Matrix code in the top, and simple to use when I first ordered from it. You would kind of expect it to be easy to use because there are 8 products to choose from. From the home page you just select from the 6 characters sunglasses or if you want to buy all of them click the package set. The package set is the best value, it works out at $17 per sunglasses and because you are ordering two or more sunglasses Matrix Eyewear also give you another free pair of sunglasses; Neo’s from the Matrix reloded.

When I first ordered of Matrix Eyewear I ordered the Twins exclusive edition to the site and Morpehus’s for my brother. Matrix Eyewear will give you another pair of sunglasses free if you order two pairs which is why I ordered the two pairs. They where also doing free delivery and a free microfiber bag to protect them in when I ordered of them, I think they still might be doing that bonus.

Security is always an issue when i order of the internet so before I ordered of Matrix Eyewear I checked the site for security and any warranty. The site uses 256 bit SSL security and gives you a 365 day warranty with your sunglasses so I was happy to go ahead and order.

After placing my order on Matrix Eyewear the sunglasses arrived about 12 days later because I live in Northern Ireland so I was expecting that long a delivery but that was still quite long. As for the sunglasses I can actually tell you that they are fine and sturdy , definitely worth the money. They are just as protective as other sunglasses and I wear mine a lot when I’m driving.

The only problem I have with my order of Matrix Eyewear is the free bag, it isn’t really protective, its more so to keep the glasses clean. I went out and bought a hard case to protect them better. However I can’t really complain because it was free. You do however get a free hardcase if you order Morpheus’s sunglasses so my brother was happy when I gave him his.

I think that’s about it on Matrix Eyewear. I do actually regret not buying the complete package because that is the best value and I’ll probably end up buying them all anyway! overall I highly recommend the Matrix Eyewear site for anyone that is a fan of the Matrix. I hope this review on Matrix Eyewear has helped.There are also pics of my sunglasses in the link below if you want to check them out.

-overall value 9/10
-quality 9/10
-price 9/10
-delivery 8/10
-website 9/10