Seniors with Style
Giving older patients an instant update with frames
By Marcy Bruch

Aging with style.  Carlos Santana in Game of Love eyewear from Santana Eyes for Visualland LLC40

As actress Betty Davis once said, growing old isn't for sissies. In the retirement years, what you start to see in the mirror can be distressing--skin going ashen, cheeks flattening, and there's those wrinkles.

Of course, aging isn't all bad. The golden years can bring unlimited hours on the golf course or visiting exotic countries. In fact, at this stage of life, many finally realize their dreams. Given that, those inevitable signs of aging are just an annoying reality check. What's more, there have never been more options, tips, and tricks to look like the clock has been set back. Getting updated eyewear is one way to do that. Here's how some dispensers fit frames on seniors to better reflect their ageless spirit.

It's no accident the film about the quest for infinite youth, Cocoon, took place in St. Petersburg, Fla. After all, it's one of the biggest retirement havens in the country. There, Karen Simmons, optician and manager of Beach Drive Optical, fits a parade of silver-haired clients--some who hold tightly to their old frames and others who want the very latest. One tactic Simmons uses to nudge older people into edgier frames is to suggest they shop with one of their children or even their grandchildren.

"They value their kids' opinions, and if we agree something looks good, they're willing to make the stretch and buy it." Still, not all her senior customers need such convincing. "I have 70-year-old customers who think and act more like 50," Simmons says. "They want frames to reflect that mindset."

	Above: Joan Collins in New York Eye's Joan Collins eyewear style JC9609.

PAINLESS UPDATES

Among both her male and female 60-something clientele base, screwless, three-piece rimless mounts in beta titanium are fast becoming a hit. "They are practical for seniors for a number of reasons," she says. "First, because they are so lightweight, they don't irritate the bridge of the nose, causing sores, which heavier frames tend to do on older people because the skin in that area gets thinner with age."

Her second powerful selling tip for rimless frames is another practical point--maintenance. The frames have no screws, so they don't require constant adjustments. This is a boon to seniors in assisted living or nursing homes who aren't able to get around with ease.

"And, third, if an elderly person sleeps with them on or accidentally bumps and falls, the beta titanium doesn't break, so that extra durability means they will pay less for eyewear over the long haul," she says.

If her senior clientele balks at the price, which is around $250, Simmons explains that the frame is made of durable beta titanium so if their prescriptions changes, they can get different rimless lenses to update the frames.

Men have a tendency to cling to what's familiar, while women seem more open to change, says Colene Gammons, optician and manager for Arizona Optical Dispensers in Phoenix, Ariz. "If an older man comes in wearing a big, double-bar aviator, I'll ease him into a smaller single-bar aviator, and hopefully the next time, he'll be ready to discard the aviator look altogether," she says.

Once men pass that hurtle, she points them toward three-piece rimless mounts or sleek, rectangular or square-shaped metal frames in silver, gunmetal, bronze, or a tortoise and gold combination.

Frame options for seniors run the gamut from rugged and sporty to sophisticated. Left to Right: Zyloware's Stetson style ST 166; Fitovers' style Razo

To ease seniors into smaller frames, Gammons explains that larger frames magnify bags and wrinkles around the eyes, while smaller frames detract from them. "They think the larger the frame, the greater the coverage, which may be true in sunwear, but prescription eyewear just magnifies everything."

	Linda Evans style LE 266 for Sans Pareil

Both Simmons and Gammons encourage women to wear upswept, modified cateyes, because they visually lift the face. Simmons reports that for the most part, older women embrace color. "An iridescent blue, teal, or lilac frame does much to enliven the face," she says. Dark, flat colors like black and matte brown, on the other hand, look too harsh against older, paler faces. In metal, a shiny, silver frame can accentuate gray or white hair and brighten blue or gray eyes.

Often it's easier to update seniors because they are influenced by what they see on TV. "I had an older man come in saying he wanted the same eyewear as what one of the local sports casters is wearing," Gammons says.

SUN STYLE

Even though the goal among dispensers is to get seniors into smaller prescription frames, when it comes to sunwear, it's just the opposite--the more coverage, the better. "At this age, maximum UV coverage is crucial because of the risk of cataracts," says Sue Hull, co-owner of Eyewear Express in Rhinelander, Wis. To better protect seniors' highly sensitive eyes, she recommends they get a UV coating on their regular prescription eyewear.

Carrying "fit-over" style sunglasses is also a necessity if catering to senior patients seeking full sun protection.

In terms of sunwear styles, older women lean toward oversized plastic frames for coverage, while men prefer aviators and flip-up clips. "I have a magnetic clip-on that flips up that I just brought in three weeks ago, and I only have one left," says Hull. "Older men have been grabbing them up."

Although many dispensers recommend a second pair of prescription sunwear, the reality of "senior moments" means that carrying two pairs of frames everywhere increases the likelihood frames will get lost.

Right: Kenmark Hush Puppies styles H245, left, and H160

As an alternative, Gammons often recommends photochromic lenses in prescription eyewear, paired with polarized clips. "Photochromic lenses help their visibility. The polarized clip-ons work best during the bright daylight hours to cut glare under the strong Arizona sun," she says.

LENS SUPPLEMENTS

To further enhance visibility, Hull recommends anti-reflective coatings to all of her patients. "I tell them we can always strip the coating off if they don't like it, but it never happens." She also explains to them how progressive lenses will enhance their depth perception because there is no bifocal line, even though she cautions them that it will take a few days for their eyes to get used to them.

"Getting seniors to try progressive lenses is our biggest challenge. But if you explain the benefits and they still don't want it, you just have to let it go."

For a contrast booster, Hull has even given her 90-plus patients yellow tinted lenses in their prescription frames. "I have a husband and wife in their 90s who both prefer yellow-tinted lenses because they say it enhances the contrast of typefaces when they are reading."