GLASSES KEEP FOCUS ON FASHION

Marti Sturm chooses eyeglasses in much the same fashion some shoppers choose clothing, with attention to detail and an eye for the unique.

"I have casual glasses and I have glasses that I think are sophisticated," explained Sturm, chuckling, "and I have glasses that are fun."

With six pairs of eyeglasses, Sturm's collection of eye wear is doubtless atypical. However, her interest in using eyeglasses as a fashion plus is not unusual, said Wendy Nesslein of Regional Eyecare Center. "Nowadays, eye wear is a fashion accessory, much like jewelry," said Nesslein. "We're seeing it with men as well as women."

Randy Kagy, lab manager for Horner Rausch Optical Superstore, is accustomed to the good natured ribbing he receives about his half a dozen pairs of eyeglasses. Kagy said that according to his friends, "I have my barbecuing glasses, my watching TV glasses, my going to the store glasses, coming home from the store glasses ..."

After a slight pause, he added, laughing, "I could line them all up and open my own store, I guess."

Though they've been around for many years, only relatively recently have eyeglasses evolved from a tool of necessity into an accessory of choice. How did it happen? The answers may be as varied as the personalities of the individuals who wear them. After all, some folks who do not even have to, want to don framed lenses.

With eye wear, as with any aspect of fashion, personality and personal image come into play.

"I think they make a fashion statement, they make a personality statement," said Sturm, director of the chemical dependency unit of St. Francis Medical Center. "They accessorize your outfit," she said. "I think they should accent what you're wearing.

"I will not wear anything that's ordinary," Sturm noted. Though she hastens to add that her glasses "are not way out."

"I can't get too outlandish because I have to wear them to work and look somewhat professional. However, I stretch it to the limit," she said.

From any angle, seeing well has never looked so good. Gone are the days of one-style-fits-all glasses.

"Frame styles change so fast now, it's hard to keep up," said Trena Kennedy, co-owner of Horner Rausch Superstore. "Used to, you could buy the same frame every year. Now, if a frame lasts a year to two years, it's an excellent seller."

"In women's styles, in particular, different shapes, styles and colors are just constant," she said.

The "retro" look, featuring smallish round or oval lenses is big of late, both Kennedy and Nesslein note. "The trend is the round, retro shape. That has been around a couple years now, but I don't see that diminishing," Nesslein said.

"Ovals are coming in really big right now," Kennedy said. "Ovals look very good on, but when people look at them, they're scared to try them. When you look at them in your hand, you think, `ugh,'" she chuckled.

What's coming? Watch out for the modified cat eye, Nesslein said. The blast from the eye-wear past is now "the upscale look that a lot of ladies are turning too," she said.

For Kagy, selection of eyeglasses is dependent upon perception. "How other people see me in the glasses, that doesn't matter to me," he said, explaining that what does matter to him is "how I see myself in the glasses."

"I think that's how most people choose glasses," he noted.

That desire to achieve a certain look can lead persons, who don't even need glasses, to want them. Kennedy said requests for clear lenses at her store are typically lodged by young adults, often college students.

"They'll come and buy a pair of glasses and we'll put plain lenses in them with no prescription because they think it makes them look more studious, or because they're going for a job interview," she said.

Both Sturm and Kagy were told they should wear glasses at quite young ages. Yet both rejected the idea.

"I didn't wear them for years out of vanity," Sturm said. Years later, she explained, "I tried 12 different pair of contacts, none of which corrected my vision."

Finally, Sturm said, "I gave in." The six pairs of glasses are, she said, "my rebellion."

"I decided that if I had to wear them, that I would not be stuck with one pair."

Fortunately, the colorful diversity of frames and lenses know few age limits, helping ease what once was a certain stigma toward glasses, particularly for the young.

"We try to make it fun. When they see all the choices, they're pleased," Nesslein said.

And that satisfaction translates to something more important than fashion. When the glasses are appealing, Nesslein said, "It makes people want to wear them.

"The main point is helping them see better. If they like what they're wearing, then they'll wear it, and it will help their vision."

Sturm agrees. That observation has held true in her life. "The staff at the Regional Eyecare Center are very helpful. They know that it's important to me ... Dr. Beverly Cleair is very attuned to any problems."

Not all frames and lenses work with all prescriptions. The need may dictate the style, or at least rule out certain looks. "I try to give them as much information as I can as to what the lens is going to look like," Kagy said, "so that the individual can make an informed decision."

There are other factors, too, besides frame color and lens style. "There are a lot of applications you can do with tints to enhance your visual acuity," Kagy said. Each pair of his glasses sports a different tint.

Sturm is interested in lens and frame variety. "They're all different shapes and colors," she said of her glasses. "Most are metal, although I do have one plastic pair: they're purple and green metallic and hot pink, intermingled."

Most glasses sold these days have plastic lenses and metal frames with a nickel base. A new, light-weight, titanium-base frame is available for those who may have allergic reactions to the more typical frames.

While more people of all ages and genders may be seeing eyeglasses in a new light, deciding on just the right pair can be a tough task.

"We've got probably 3,000 frames, and we do get people occasionally that try to try on everything we have," joked Kennedy. On average, people typically try on about 10 frames, she said.

Others have discovered an easier method of achieving fashionable, or at least favorable, results. Kennedy explained, "Some men come in and bring their wives and say, `Honey, whatever you want.'"