Eyeglass frames > Eyeglass frame

Not long ago people were coming to the optics store to choose their new eyeglasses from only a few types. The looks and the color of these types often didn't meet the ideas of the buyers. In the 1990s this situation started to change dramatically. With the opening of our market to the world and the following coming of foreign companies, the optics stores were filled with many types of eyeglass frames of world-known brands. With today's offer everyone can make a choice in the optics store.

Today, eyeglass frames are not used only as a correction aid, but they have to also fulfill the aesthetic side. There are more and more people, who, even though they do not have an error of refraction, wear eyeglass frames with cut non-prescription lenses. The term eyeglass frame is understood as a frame consisting of the middle piece and temples. The middle piece is then divided into two eyeglass lenses and a bridge. The temples consist of the temple itself and the earpiece. This description matches only certain amount of eyeglass frames on our market.

There are many demands on prescription eyeglass frames. These demands can be divided into demands aesthetic, physical and medical.

• Aesthetic demands – perfect surface treatment, harmony of used color shades, suitable combination of materials and symmetry of eyeglass lenses
• Physical demands – firmness, ability to hold certain shape, solidity, flexibility and resistance from surrounding influences, humidity, cleaning agents, sweat
• Medical demands – non-defective material of the frame (some parts of plastic materials or metal alloy can cause allergic reactions, such as nickel)

Basic types of eyeglass frames:

• Eyeglass frames with lens rims
• Half-rimmed eyeglass frames
• Rimless eyeglass frames

The oldest type of eyeglass frames is the full-frame type. Rimless eyeglasses, on the other hand, were invented as the last ones from these three types. They differ from each other not only on the visual side but also in their features.

Eyeglass frames with lens rims

They make the biggest portion from sold eyeglasses. It is a classic type of frame consisting of the middle piece and two temples.

The middle piece is made of two lens rims, which have metal or plastic ruffle on the perimeter. The lens rims are connected with a bridge.

This type of eyeglass frame is suitable mostly for people, who prefer firmness and resistance. The advantages of these frames are hardness, shape constancy, perfect protection of the eyeglass lenses from damage on the edges, easy manipulation, and reliable grip of the lenses. The disadvantages can be bigger weight, saliency, and limitation of the viewing field.

Materials of eyeglass frames

The material, from which the frame is made of, defines its features. We distinguish between two groups: non-metal eyeglass frames and metal eyeglass frames. The most common materials for manufacture of frames are plastic and metal alloys. 

The main materials for non-metal frames are: natural materials (wood, leather, keratin and other), celluloid – cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and optyl.

The most common materials for metal frames are alloys of copper, nickel and zinc. A large amount of the population is allergic to nickel and that is the reason for more often use of steel alloy and titanium. Brass, tin bronze, platinum, gold, silver and many other materials are also being used.