Spec-tacular Statements!

Despite Lasik, some of us still insist on statement-making frames. LOY CHIA YIN asks women who love their specs what their funky glasses do for their looks.

fashion frames
Barely 10 years ago, spectacles were essential for vision correction and came in either the traditional gold rimmed metal frames or the black plastic ones. Naturally, the convenience of contact lenses was the preferred option for those with poor vision. Now with myopia-correcting Lasik surgery gaining popularity with Singaporeans, it's surprising to find out that spectacles are fast gaining fashion-novelty status with their bright colours and distinctive designs.

Says Desmond Ng, the manager of optical shop Eyeplay, "A lot of women are asking for more unique and interesting designs, particularly half frame spectacles." The retro look is also a hot favourite. "Customers come in asking to look as nerdy as possible. They want frames as thick as they can go and glashy colours like pink and purple." With spectacles, you can change your look in seconds - appear stern with a pair of black cat-eye frames or flirty with a diamante rimmed frame.

Choo Wai Yee, 32, who works in the Ministry of Manpower, explains that after years of wearing lenses for more than the recommended 12 hours, her optician finally told her the lenses are starting to leave an imprint on her cornea. So she swopped them for glasses.

Wai Yee regards her spectacles as her lifesavers - protecting her eyes when she hits the roof of her car as she buckles up her young ones and when hot oil splashes out as she cooks.

lasik or glasses?
Since the inception of the Lasik (Laser In-situ Keratomileusis) treatment in Singapore, women now have the option of regaining near perfect or perfect vision. The prospect of waking up every morning to a clear perfect vision entices women to correct their eyesight. However, a quick check among bespectacled women reveals that most would reject a Lasik treatment because of medical reasons.

Kathleen Yip, a 32-year old doctor who wear a pair of blue two-toned plastic frames, sums it up - from a medical viewpoint. "Lasik may help near-sightedness, but you also develop long-sightedness faster. And personally, I can't accept any risk of corneal scarring." She says that Lasik doesn't seem to her to be the safest option since most ophthalmologists (people who operate Lasik treatments on patients) she meets wear spectacles.

Spectacles lovers like Janice Lum, a marketing manager in her 30s, offer an alternative take, "With the money for Lasik operation, I can buy so many more interesting and funky glasses!"



HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR STATEMENT SPECS

• Colour Pick a colour that provides a good contrast against your skin tone. Warm colours go well with darker skin tone.sand cool colours with fairer skin tones. Shades that tends to work for your clothes and makeup will flatter you in glasses as well.
• Hair Balance is the key. A heavier frame is suitable for short dos, while a light frame is good for those with long hair.
• Eyebrows Don't hide your brows. They should always show above the frames.
• Eye Makeup Eye shadow shades look ligher through glasses, so pick darker colours. Near-sighted lenses make your eyes appear smaller. Pick stronger colours to brighten and enhance your eyes. Far-sighted lenses emphasise the eyse so go light on your makeup.
• Nose To reduce the length of your nose, pick glasses with a low bridge. High bridge glasses will make your nose seem longer. Details on the temples will also draw attention away from the nose.
• Lip Colour If your frame is bright in colour, pick a lip shade that's equally strong.

Extracted from Simply Her/February 2005