Boys’ Glasses: How to Choose Glasses He’ll Wear

When you discover your pre-teen or teenage boy needs glasses, it can feel like a bit of a minefield. It’s difficult enough getting them to do anything else you want them to. How on earth are you going to convince them to wear glasses?

Luckily, there’s a wide range of boys’ glasses out there to choose from and there’s bound to be something they like. The trick is to know how to navigate through the process.

Let’s look at some factors to consider when buying boys’ glasses and how to find the right ones for your child.

When Your Young or Teenage Boy Needs Eyeglasses

There’s a good chance your youngster won’t tell you outright that they’re struggling to see. In fact, you’ll probably need to use your built-in detective skills to figure that out. Here are some signs to look for:

• Squinting

• Rubbing their eyes or blinking more than usual

• Holding a book or their cell phone very close to their face

• Moving their head around or covering one eye to see

• Frequently suffering from headaches

• Sitting close to the TV

• Complaining of sore or tired eyes

• Seeming off-balance and frequently bumping into things

• Not doing well in school or sports

Of course, any of those symptoms could point to other problems too, but getting their eyes checked is a good place to start. Take them to your optometrist for an eye exam to confirm if your suspicions are true. If so, it’s time to take the next step.

Finding the Right Boys’ Glasses

Young kids tend to be physically active, so their glasses need to be made of quality materials and durable enough to withstand that daily wear and tear. Just how rugged they need to be will depend on each individual child, their personality, and the activities they take part in.

You’ll also want to maximize the chances of them wearing their glasses, so get them involved right from the start with a conversation about what they need and what they’d like. Getting boys’ eyeglasses for the first time can be an emotional process (for you and for them). They might feel self-conscious wearing glasses in front of their friends, but you can help them find a pair they’ll be confident in.

What to Consider When Buying Kids’ Glasses

Before starting the process of actually choosing glasses, there are some factors to consider.

Lifestyle

A great place to begin is by talking with your young boy about their activities — maybe even listing them out loud so you don’t forget any.

Do They Play Sports?

If so, they’ll need something tough that can withstand some battering. After all, the last thing they should be thinking about on the sports field is protecting their glasses. You may want to consider acetate frames, which are scratch-resistant. He’ll also probably need tough polycarbonate lenses.

Are They Often Outside in the Sun?

Young eyes are especially sensitive to sun damage as their lenses can’t filter as much UV light as an adult’s. UV protective coating or photochromatic lenses that darken in the sun can work well, and they can be used in non-prescription as well as prescription sunglasses. Polarized lenses also help to provide protection and reduce reflected glare off water, snow, roads, or cement. With Pair Eyewear, you can add a Sun Top to any pair of glasses —no separate pair needed!

Is Screen Time a Major Factor in Their Life?

Computer screens and smartphones produce a lot of short-wavelength blue light. In excess, this can cause eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, and tiredness. It also suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, which may make it difficult for your child to fall asleep. To counteract this, consider blue light glasses or blue-light blocking lenses for your child’s normal prescription. Anti-glare coating can also make a difference for kids who spend a lot of time online, because it helps to reduce reflections and halos in the lenses.

Do They Have Sensitive Skin?

Metal frames can cause irritation for some children, so look out for acetate frames instead. These are hypoallergenic, as well as being less brittle than plastic frames. Pair Eyewear glasses are not only made with durable cellulose acetate frames, they also come with scratch-resistant polycarbonate lenses and are anti-reflective and 100% UV protective.

Prescription

It’s important to make sure the prescription for boys’ glasses is correct or they could end up worse off than before. The wrong prescription glasses for their eyes — or the wrong fit if the glasses don’t sit in the right place on their face — could cause headaches, dizziness, or even nausea.

Your eye doctor should give your child a prescription that will correct their vision, which may require single-vision or multifocal lenses. They should also measure pupillary distance — which is the distance between their pupils — so that the prescription eyeglasses fit correctly.

Fit

Once you have the prescription, you can start to consider how to make sure your boy’s glasses fit. Little kids will need kids’ frames, whereas older teenage boys may be able to wear adult glasses frames.

You’ll also need to consider any special requirements. For example, if your child has a narrow face shape, they’ll need a narrower fit, whereas larger faces may need a wider frame with long arms. For smaller kids’ eyeglasses, their noses are often not yet fully developed and their glasses may keep sliding down. This can be annoying and counterproductive, so make sure the bridge fits. You can also use an Ear Hook to keep your little one’s glasses securely on their face.

Selecting Your Boy’s New Glasses with Pair Eyewear

Whether your child is old enough to choose for himself and likes variety in his style or you’ll be making the decision for a younger kiddo, check out Pair Eyewear for a wide selection of options. Either way, he (or you) will select a Base Frame shape and color, then add a Top Frame and prescription. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Select the Base Frame Shape

Your child’s age and our frame size guide will help you make your choice from the selection of frame shapes. If your boy already has a pair of glasses that fit, look for the frame size numbers inside the frame — often on the arm. If it’s his first pair, ask your optician for these measurements.

For younger boys, you’ll be choosing from:

• Larkin

• Twain

• Otero

• Serra

• Cedro

For older boys, you can also look at the men’s collection:

• Larkin

• Twain

• Kirby

• Finley

• Casper

• Reese

• Otis

• Soto

2. Select the Base Frame Color

Encourage him to use the Virtual Try-On feature to take a photo of his face, and then try out the various options of eyeglass frames. Selecting one will take you to the next page to double-check the fit details.

3. Select the Top Frame

Click the green ‘Select Top Frames’ button to choose from the options available for that frame. Our Top Frames are magnetic and simply snap on, which means they can easily be changed from one day to the next. And with new arrivals every month, he can update his look whenever he likes.

What appeals to him will depend on his personality. For example:

• For the Superhero: Try the Batman, Superman, or Iron Man Suit

• For the Sports Fan: Try the Knicks Logo, Jets Split, or Rangers Home Run

• For the Intellectual: Try the Navy, Cobalt Split, or Gryffindor

• For the Artist: Try the Black & White Splatter, Vincent Stripes, or Sky Dip Dye

4. Select the Prescription

Click through to ‘Choose Prescription’ and select from the options there. Note that you’ll need to know your boy’s pupillary distance — your optometrist should give you this. When you select the prescription, you’ll then see further options to customize the lenses. For example, you can add blue-light filtering for screen use or Sun Tops for outdoor activities.

5. Check Out

Add your choices to your cart and you’ll then be taken to a confirmation page. Confirm all the details there and add any extras before checking out.

6. Look Forward to Delivery

How long it takes for the glasses to arrive depends on the complexity of the order. Once you receive them, be sure to compliment your child on how good he looks in his new glasses!

Just in case he does change his mind about his choice, we have a 30-day return and exchange policy, even for prescription lenses — no questions asked. If you have questions, feel free to visit our FAQ page.

Boys’ Glasses Can Impact Quality of Life

If he’s struggling with vision challenges, your young boy’s glasses can make a world of difference to his life. The right boys’ glasses can help him see clearly and focus better, as well as reduce symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and sore eyes.

That said, it’s important to choose the best glasses for him. Make sure you start with the right prescription and fit, and take his lifestyle and personal preferences into account. Choosing his look from Pair Eyewear means he has a vast range of choices to show off his personality. He’s sure to find glasses that work for him and make him feel his best, most-confident self.