Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part series.

Sporting eyeglasses no longer is considered a step toward social suicide where fellow peers chant “four eyes” or “nerd” as a person adjusts the glasses on his or her face.

Wearing glasses now is a fashion statement those with 20-20 vision lack.

“Frames are a lot of fun now,” said Chris Brundies, an optician at Spex Express, 2570 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore.

Glasses used to be offered only in basic colors like brown, black, silver and gold and made of metal materials.

“Now, you name the color, you can get it,” Brundies said. “There’s wood, titanium, jewels – it’s fun. People want to wear glasses. People who don’t even have a prescription want to wear glasses.”

Popular trends include many different styles.

“The size and style of glasses change just as fashions do,” said Dr. Michele Jurkovic of Dr. Michele’s Eyecare Center, 2810 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore.

In the last three years, Jurkovic has seen an increase in drill mount frames, also called invisible frames.

Invisible frames only contain the nose piece and the temples – the side pieces that go behind the ears.

In addition, she has seen an increase in demand for plastic and wire frames. Plastic frames have become more popular mostly for cosmetic reasons but also because plastics lack nose pieces, Jurkovic said.

Brundies credits titanium frames as one of his store’s more popular choices.

“Titanium is a huge factor in frames,” he said. “It’s light weight and durable.”

Titanium allows the option of having the “heavy look” thick frames, but it is still light weight, Brundies said.

Sunwear also is an increasing fad.

“Most people who have a prescription don’t usually have prescription sunglasses,” Brundies said.

He said prescription polarized lenses will be an up-and-coming trend.

Polarized lenses contain crystals lined in the lenses that filter out glares caused by the sun reflecting off flat surfaces or water.

“You see what you’ve been missing,” Brundies said.

The polarized lenses are available in magnetic clips that clip on over the original lens of a person’s prescription glasses, he said.

Contact lenses

Contacts also have revolutionized throughout the years and are seeing new trends.

Both clear contacts and colored contacts have become less expensive since they first came out, Jurkovic said.

Brundies said sales at his store are about 50-50 as far as glasses vs. contacts.

Color choices, the option of 30-day lenses, new materials and water content have kept contact sales consistent, he said. There are more options for both soft and hard contact lenses.

“People who couldn’t wear contacts now can,” Brundies said.

One increased trend has eye doctors cringing.

Materials now allow people to wear contacts longer, such as 30-day lenses, which can increase the risk of health issues, Brundies said.

Color contacts also have become less flashy and more natural.

Contacts used to be very artificial looking, Brundies said, but they are now taking on a more natural look.

Lenses are no longer just dyed blue, he said, but now have multiple colors like the natural eye.

“Contacts are constantly evolving,” Brundies said.

Measuring up

Some local optometry offices seem to agree the decision between glasses and contacts depends on the person and the lifestyle he or she leads.

Senior sociology major Brad Omachel has been wearing contacts for about seven years. He originally started with glasses.

“I switched for convenience and to try it out,” he said.

For instance, those in sports tend to choose contacts to avoid having anything on their face, Jurkovic said.

But most who choose contacts do so for cosmetic reasons, she said.

“Glasses were annoying,” junior kinesiology major Kari Wisowaty said.

There are both hard and soft lenses.

Rigid gas permeable lenses – hard lenses – help with vision, astigmatism and are usually higher prescriptions, Brundies said. Hard lenses have to be changed daily and can be kept for two years.

“They are the minority,” he said.

Soft lenses have more options as far as how often they can be changed and are available in color.

Soft contacts are available in daily wear, which are removed every day. Extended-wear contacts can be worn up to seven days straight.

In addition, there are daily, weekly and monthly disposable contacts. Other lenses called plan replacement contacts can be thrown away after one to three months and can be used as daily wear or overnight wear.

There are also specific types of soft contacts for special eyecare needs including toric contacts, to correct astigmatism, bifocal lenses, limited correction for both distance and near vision, and lenses for monovision, where contacts focus the dominant eye for distance and the other for near vision.

“Gas permeables are more cost effective, but comfort isn’t as good,” Jurkovic said.

Soft lenses tend to be more expensive, said Chris Frederick, an optician at Dr. Michele’s Eyecare Center. Soft lenses can be up to $100 to $200 per year because they have to be refilled more often.

In a month, about 30 percent of Jurkovic’s patients decide on glasses, but most do a combination of both types of eyewear, she said.

“We prefer [a patient] to have both,” Jurkovic said.

Because a contact lens sits on the eye, there are more health risks involved with contacts than glasses.

For instance, a corneal ulcer, a form of bacteria that eats at tissues and can cause blindness, can occur if a lens does not fit properly or is taken care of improperly.

“Contact lenses have to be fit properly,” Jurkovic said. “You can’t just wear anyone’s contacts.”

Signs of the ulcer are: redness of they eye, pain and sensitivity to light.

Complaints with contacts usually come when a person is adjusting to using them.

Men usually have a harder time putting contacts in, Jurkovic said, “because they don’t come at their eye with a big make-up stick.”

Others choose glasses purely to avoid the responsibility.

“I’m not a very organized person,” said Mike Taylor of DeKalb, who has been an eyeglass wearer for 15 years.

Gripes about glasses usually come from those with the wrong type of eyewear for their specific needs.

Complaints usually are about the look or weight – both of which can be fixed, Brundies said.

“They just need the right frame,” he said.

Both options come with a price.

Depending on the customer’s choice, the costs can be remotely close or drastically different.

At Spex Express, the cost of glasses can be anywhere from $100 to $600, depending on the brand and prescription, Brundies said, although the average cost of glasses is about $200 to $250.

Spex Express sells contacts only in one-year packages, so the prices range from $180 to $200.