1. Match the size with your current glasses

One simple way to get a frame that will fit you well is to find the sizing of a pair of your own glasses and use this as a guide to choose your new pair. Your glasses, example below of our Campbell frame, should be marked on the inside of the temple (or sometimes the bridge) with the parameters of the frame. The most useful measurements to us today are the eye size (lens width) and the bridge width.

With these measurements in mind, you can browse our frame collection here. To find a good fit, look for frames with a similar eyesize (within 1-3mm) to your current glasses. Just click on the IOLLA models you like and you will find the frame sizing for each one on the product page! 

2. Bridge Fit

If you aren’t sure a standard fixed bridge will fit you well, it’s a great idea to choose a frame with a “keyhole bridge”. These should fit well on any bridge width and curvature. Another great solution is to choose a frame with adjustable nosepads as these can be moved wider or closer together to achieve a better fit on different bridge widths..

3. Buy and Try

If you are struggling to choose between a few options, it is possible to order frames without lenses to try from home. We do not offer a ‘home try-on service’ as such but you can purchase the frames that you would like to try on as “frame only” and then return them within 14 days for a refund. When using this option to find your perfect pair you will have to cover the cost of postage both ways.

4. Best frame for your prescription

Although we thin lenses down for free for higher prescriptions, frame choice can actually play a much bigger role in the final finish of your glasses. 

Long-Sighted (+)

If you have a high prescription and are long-sighted (+5.00 and up), your lenses will be thickest in the middle and thinner at the edges. To get the best possible finish for your lenses we recommend that you choose a frame which has a small lens size and a round or square lens shape (lens height and width are similar). As you can see from the comparison below, acetate (plastic) frames are also a better choice than metal as the thicker rims can better disguise any lens thickness. Your best options would be Bell, Murray, Connolly and Paterson. It is not possible to achieve such a good result with frames with large lens sizes such as Inglis and Burns. This is particularly true in large metal frames like Maxwell and Lennox.

Short-Sighted (-)

If you have a high prescription and are short-sighted (-5.00 and up), your lenses will be thickest at the edges and thinnest in the middle. We recommend that you choose an acetate frame which has a small lens size and a narrow lens shape. These frames will allow us to get the best finish for your glasses as the thickest parts of the lenses will be cut off giving you leaving a better edge thickness. By choosing an acetate frame you can also conceal the edges of the lens with the rims of the frames. Good options would be Barrie, Baird and Paterson. It is not possible to achieve such a great result with very wide and deep frames such as Inglis and Burns. This is particularly true with large metal frames like Maxwell and Lennox.

We have placed a prescription restriction on some of our models as it just isn't possible to achieve a great finish on the lenses with high prescriptions in these frames. If your prescription is higher than +/-5.00, we advise against the following models:

• Rowling
• Lennox
• Scott
• Maxwell