A Writer's Guide to Characters with Glasses

I've been wearing glasses full time since I was thirteen. Both my parents have had to wear glasses since they were young and two of my siblings wear them as well. Thus, I've been around glasses my whole life.

I was looking at memes about them the other day (because what else do you do with Pinterest?) when I got the idea to do a whole post on characters that wear them for people who do not. We'll start with some basics about glasses, then I'll have some questions for you to answer about your glasses wearing character.

Some terminology

Lens- The glass or plastic part of the glasses that people see through
Arm- The part of the glasses that goes over your ears to hold them in place
Frame- The plastic or metal part of the glasses
Nose pad- The part that sits on your nose so they don't just fall down
Bridge- The piece connecting the two sides of the glasses
Hinges- Hinges on either arm of the glasses to fold them in
Prescription- What type of glasses you need. These are super complicated and I don't even know what they mean

There are different types of glasses

They aren't one size fits all. There are ones for far-sighted people, who can't see things up close, and near-sighted people (that's me!) that can't see things at a distance. There are reading glasses (I hope you can guess what those are for) and bifocals, which help you see close at the bottom and far at the top.

Your prescription doesn't have to be the same for both eyes either. One eye may need more help than the other. Some people even have lazy eyes without glasses. You need to keep that in mind when creating a character with glasses. Some people also don't need to wear them all the time. Just for reading or driving.

Glasses can be a pain

Glasses are great and all, but they can be so inconvenient. Allow me to list the ways.

- You can't lie down wearing them unless you're flat on your back. Try to lie on your side and you're glasses will try to break the bridge of your nose.
- You can't wear 3-D glasses without a hassle. Either you take off your actual glasses to wear them and can't see anything or you wear them weirdly in front of your own glasses and they constantly fall off.
- Sunglasses, same dilemma. But you also have the additional options of getting clip on ones (that look weird if they don't perfectly match your frame shape) or you can get special prescription sunglasses.
- Glasses need cleaning all the time. They get covered in dirt, sweat, and oil. And then sometimes when you clean them, it only makes it worse!
- They fog up. If you go from cold to hot or hot to cold they instantly fog up and you can't see anything for a few minutes. The same thing happens when you lean over a bowl of soup or open the oven.
- They require constant adjusting, especially when you're sweating. I've had my glasses almost fall off my face when I'm working out sometimes.
- Any time it rains or mists, your glasses become covered with water. But at least your eyes are dry, right?
- In pictures, your glasses will always reflect the light unless you wear them on the end of your nose like a cartoon librarian.

But glasses are also great

There is nothing like the feeling of putting on a new pair of glasses for the first time. It's like when a video starts out grainy and then suddenly switches to full HD. The world becomes brand new. That's when you really realize how terrible your vision was. Here are a few pros of wearing glasses.

- You can actually see things. That's a major plus.
- Glasses are stylish now. People even wear fake ones to look cool.
- Glasses make you look smart. Ask anyone.
- You can look over the top of them to give people "the look".
- You can probably start a fire with them. I've never actually done this, but if you ever got stuck in the wilderness and need to make a fire, you can just use your glasses.
- They'll give you some great stories about times you lost, broke, or got hit in the glasses. (Hint: the last one hurts. Once again, the glasses bridge tries to break your nose when hit in the face.)
- If you're a girl, you can wear some pretty heavy eye make-up without looking over the top because wearing glasses will tone it down.

How you get glasses

But what is the normal practice of getting glasses, you may be wondering? It's not that hard. First, you start noticing you can't see things and get a lot of headaches. Then your mom will take you to the eye doctors to be tested. Sometimes it turns out it was nothing or you won't need glasses for a few years.

What they do to test you is start with sitting in a big chair while they make you read letters on the stupid eye chart. You'll probably be wrong a lot and feel like an idiot. Then they put a thing in front of your face (that looks like the helmet Anakin wears like pod racing) while you look at the letters. The doctor will ask you which is better, one or two and flip through some lenses or something (I'm actually not sure what's in it). And you have to pick so they go on to the next one. This tells them something about how your eyesight is and what prescription you need.

There are a few other things they do as well. They make you put your face in this machine and watch a dot, follow a car, and other things while they look at your eyes. Finally, they do the stupid air puff to take a picture of your eye. They tell you to hold your eye open while they blow a puff of air in it. It's startling. After that, they just have you pick your frames and they send off your prescription that will arrive in a few weeks.

Questions for characters

1. When did they start wearing glasses? As a baby, child, teenager, adult, or old person?

2. Why do they need to wear glasses and how much? All the time or just for reading or driving?

3. Do they wear glasses or contacts? Which do they prefer?

4. How often do they actually wear their glasses? Lots of people don't wear their glasses even though they should.

5. How do they feel about their glasses? Proud? Embarrassed? Don't care?

6. What do their glasses look like? Do they care about shape or whether their made from plastic or metal? Or do they not care at all?

7. Have they worn the same type of frame for years or do they like to switch it up whenever they get a new pair?

8. What do they like and what don't they like about their glasses? Why?

9. Have they ever been teased about wearing glasses? Did it bother them or not?

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This post turned out way longer than I thought it would, but I hope I gave you some useful information. Sorry if it was a bit ranty in the middle. I really do love my glasses. I wear cat's eye in dark blue and I think they make my eyes really stand out.

Let's talk! Have you ever written a character with glasses? Do you wear glasses? Do you have anything to add to this post? Tell me in the comments.

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