Rely on your gut when shopping for frames
Photo: Jere Hietala
Hanna Brotherus and Mikko Kuustonen came to us with the intention of buying new pairs of glasses. What was the reason behind a trip to an optician’s? We asked the couple about their new glasses and the shopping experience.
– My presbyopia, age vision, progressed rapidly and I could no longer handle the font sizes that previously caused no issues. My eyes tired easily when I was reading, and at work. I had already worn glasses, but for some reason the previous lens prescription did not feel right. That’s why it was time to seek help from an expert, Mikko says.
– I had this wonderful delusion that I will not be affected with vision issues like others do. I thought it wouldn’t apply to me. I got a wake-up call when my kids laughed at me: I kept doing a funny move when I read. I had a misconception before getting my first pair of glasses: I thought my eyesight would deteriorate quickly after I started using them, Hanna says.
– I saw from the way your face wrinkled up that it was necessary to take action, Mikko laughs.
Before updating her glass prescription, Hanna had headaches. In addition, the previous pair of glasses felt heavy, like there was something excessive resting on her face.
– The new glasses felt right from the first fitting. My glasses are easy and I also often get delightful comments about them. When I leave home, I always check that I have my keys, the wallet and my glasses with me, only then can I walk out the door.
By a right choice of frames, an optician has the opportunity to correct misunderstandings about how a persons sees their own face or what frames fit them. The customer can be helped to see their face as beautiful. The greatest reward is when our customer feels like their glasses are more a crown than a bandage. With the right frame, the beauty of a person is brought to the fore. For example, the shape or colour of the frame can emphasize the eyes.
Mikko and Hanna are happy to accept professional help with choosing the right frame. It’s easier when someone gives you couple of options and asks you to choose between them.
– I probably wouldn’t have tried on my current frames, if I had seen them on the shelf, Mikko laughs.
We chose indoor lenses for Hanna and Mikko, as these fit the needs they had. Indoor lenses give you an extra wide close-up range. Compared to traditional progressive lenses, indoor lenses give you an extra wide close-up range.
– When I work as a choreographer, I can do without glasses, but I will bring them to a meeting. At home, I like to wear glasses, for example, when bake or watch a movie. I still have non-prescription sunglasses, but next summer I plan to fix the situation, Hanna says.
– I wear glasses when I make music or am working on a computer. My current glasses are easy to wear and a blurriness is not there anymore, so I wear glasses almost all the time, Mikko admits.
– It’s fun to see how strong an impact glasses can have on your identity and the reactions they evoke. Glasses need to lift your face up, and they need to feel like they are a part of you. Glasses are also a matter of well-being and health. Glasses combine reason and feeling, because the frame choice is based on a gut feeling. Then again: why not trust that feeling – after all, people make the biggest decisions of their lives with the help of intuition.
– Few things can affect your own day or personality as much as glasses. You can play around with glasses if you have several pairs. When I put my glasses on, I know where I am and I’m ready to get going, says Hanna.