If you're short sighted enough to require glasses, you've probably run into the problem when trying to buy new frames: You can't see what they look like on your face. On the rack, in your hands, stuffed over your current pair of glasses, or on the salesperson's face, yes. On YOUR face, you have to be close enough to the mirror that nothing looks natural.

I propose that eyeglass shops provide a free pair of short lived disposable contacts to use while buying new glasses frames. The glasses buying experience would be much easier, certainly more pleasant, and not much more expensive given the already hefty prices.

Most eyeglass shops should be happy to provide this service, particularly if it required customers to keep coming back to the same place. It might also be possible to use generic contacts that helped get everyone to 20/80 vision. (3 feet from the mirror?)
-- tenhand, Oct 08 2001

If you could use generic contacts, couldn't you fit the frames with generic lenses when they're on the shelf?
-- egnor, Oct 08 2001


The REAL problem is that glasses with no prescription lense in them look NOTHING like the glasses you get.
-- seal10, Oct 08 2001


The REAL problem is that glasses with no prescription lense in them look NOTHING like the glasses you get.

Plus, you could just have a digital camera take a picture of you with the test frames on, and just view the image on a screen later.
-- seal10, Oct 08 2001


Or take a picture without any glasses at all, then paste the frames over your face electronically.
-- StarChaser, Oct 08 2001


If you were to try wearing someone else's contacts (or even your own in the wrong eyes), you'd realise why this won't work. Contact lenses work mainly by altering the curvature of the cornea. The lens must be made to re-shape *your* cornea to the required form.
-- angel, Oct 09 2001


It gets easier after twelve years or so.
-- angel, Oct 09 2001


...and get the same response to 'How do these look?' as you give her to 'Does this dress look OK?' (ie, 'Fine' without even looking).
-- angel, Oct 09 2001



random, halfbakery