Finding the Right Glasses

I have needed prescription glasses with bifocals since I was 8 years old. Back then, I could pick out any nice frame and wear it without issue.

However, since I developed contact dermatitis and chronic hives, my choice of glasses is now determined by the materials they are made: plastic frames, metal frames, and nose pads.

How do you know whether plastic or metal glass frames are more hypoallergenic? How do you know which glasses nose pads are best for sensitive skin? When you suffer from a contact allergy or sensitivity and are shopping for glasses, you may become overwhelmed with optical options.

Have no fear; I'm here to help cut through the confusion and see things clearly. Here are my top 6 tips for shopping for sensitive shades!

Schedule an appointment with an optician

Always get glasses adequately fitted by a licensed optician. Opticians are not just glasses salesmen. They are your glasses' best friend! These specialists are professionally trained to fit your frames to your one-of-a-kind face shape, ears, and head.

Otherwise, your glasses frames may rub and irritate your sensitive skin. Opticians have access to special equipment specifically for this purpose so that they will not damage your glasses frames while adjusting them. In other words…don't try this at home!

Lightweight frames for sensitive skin

If you want as little of the glass frames as possible to touch your skin, buy lightweight, "invisible glasses," "frameless glasses," or "rimless glasses." These frames are made of the lightest metal, and the lenses are held in place by a thin, transparent plastic strip that looks like a fishing line. Depending on the prescription, they can weigh only a few ounces.

Avoid reactions from nickel

In the category of metal frames, nickel allergy is the most common. Sometimes, plastic fronted frames will have metal arms. The nickel that comes in contact with the skin will begin pitting, scratching the skin, and causing irritation and allergic reactions.

An inexpensive solution is to coat the inside of the arms with clear nail polish! Titanium is the least reactive metal, the lightest, and strongest metal. It's a bit more expensive, but it's also more durable. Look for a label that says nickel allergy-free, pure, or 100% titanium. This will accommodate contact points on the temples and sides of the head.

Plastic frames for chronic hives

Lower-quality plastic frames are made of injected plastic, leaving the frame color only as a coating on the outside. This material is often made out of petroleum-based nylon, and people with sensitive skin can develop contact dermatitis to petroleum products. You can tell by looking at the top of the frame that the color or print is more superficial and does not go all the way through.

The highest quality plastic frames currently available are made from cellulose acetate. Unfortunately, glass frames are not always labeled with their materials. One way to tell if a frame is made of cellulose acetate is that the color will go all the way through the frame and not be painted over it.

If price is not an issue, OPTYL makes another high-end proprietary material in the plastic frame industry. This material is also considered to be hypoallergenic.

Preventing skin irritation

Better-quality nose pads are made from silicone. Less expensive frames may come with nose pads made of plastic that can cause skin irritation due to skin sensitivity in some wearers.

Silicone nose pads for your frames may not be 100% allergy-free, but it is your best choice to avoid contact dermatitis. You can get nose pads made of cellulose acetate, but silicone is softer.

If you are reacting to silicone, ask your optometrist if they can order nose pads made of 100% titanium. They are metal, so they might initially feel foreign because they won't have the soft cushion of silicone. But, if your sensitive skin is allergic to silicone, titanium metal might be your only safe choice.

Finding the right doctor

I've learned a lot since I picked out my first pair of children's plastic frames, and I learned most of it from my go-to glasses expert, my optician.

Once you need glasses, you often need them for life. With this in mind, you should shop for an optician before you shop for your next pair of glasses.

Find an optical advisor who puts you at ease by answering all your questions and whose opinions you truly trust. Research opticians online to read reviews and weigh your options.

It took me many years to find a provider that possessed the patience I needed to answer my many questions and the time it takes to fit and refit my glasses frame just right. Otherwise, the arms of my frames will rub my sensitive skin, and I will develop contact dermatitis from the irritation.

I'm so grateful to have found the right glasses specialist now. Not only is he an excellent listener and patient-provider. He also answered all my questions about writing this article. To show my appreciation and help others get a great glass fitting, I left him a glowing review online. Here's to those with sensitive skin who wear glasses and the top opticians who serve us well!