How to Choose the Right Frames for Your Glasses

I've had to wear glasses pretty much my entire life. I remember getting my first pair when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I hadn't realized that I was so nearsighted. I went to the park with my two pairs of glasses; one clear and the other pair tinted for the sun. I sat by the lake and kept putting them on and then taking them off, marveling at how well I could make things out. Then, during my teenage years, like a lot of other young people, I wanted to get rid of the glasses and get contacts. My parents finally gave in, but for some reason I couldn't wear them. They irritated my eyes to the point of a scratched cornea that required several trips to the ophthalmologist. After that I went back to wearing glasses until I was in my thirties. Then I just used them to drive. Kept a pair in my car. Later on, in my forties, I was beset with that scourge of most middle-aged people: I needed reading glasses. No problem. I would pick up a pair at the drugstore like everybody else did. The only problem was, after buying almost every single strength, none of them worked very well. My eye doctor finally figured out that I had astigmatism, which is an irregular surface on the cornea. At one point, I considered having the new laser surgery until I saw my doctor, who specialized in the stuff, wearing glasses. A laser eye surgeon who had to wear glasses? Hmmm.