Frame selection

1. Frame materials
2. Size, shape & style
3. BVD & Effectivety
4. Approximate lens thickness
 Introduction
A spectacle frame is a simple device to hold a pair of lenses in front of the
patient‘s eyes .
Generally , Frame consists of a good bridge fit, proper eye size & an
acceptable shape to adapt a frame to a face
Frame can be made from a variety of materials such as plastic, metal
Frame selection is often a process of trial and error
Person aiding in selection must have the ability to know what the frame will
look like with lenses & how it will perform in fulfilling the wearer’s needs
Points to consider during frame selection are
cosmetic consideration
wearer’s need old frame ( precautions need to hold new Rx)
frame style
frame shape & face shape
frame color
bridge design
1.Frame material
An ideal frame material should
possess:
– pleasing appearance
– resistance to corrosion
– non-flammability
– cheapness
– durability
– ease of working
– rigidity
– adjustability
– non-allergic
– light weight
– resistance to chemicals and aging
– available in many colours & colourfast
 Identifying frame materials

a. PLASTICS
1. Cellulose Acetate
– The most common plastics frame material and it has all
the desirable characteristics of a frame material to
some degree.
– It is easily adjusted with moderate heat, but needs
metal reinforcement in the sides to maintain the
adjustment during wear
- It is usually produced from flat sheets – look for
characteristic signs such as laminated coloured trims, and
nose pads which have been attached separately
 cont

2. Cellulose Proprionate
– A newer plastics material of the same family
– As with the other cellulose plastics, it requires reinforcement, but
frames are produced by moulding rather than being cut from flat
sheets.
3. Cellulose Nitrate
– Was one of the earliest plastics materials
– It is very flammable and burns and blisters easily: because of
this it is no longer used (but you may still come across old
frames)
– With age, the transparent parts of the frame become very yellow
 cont

4. Perspex (an acrylic resin)

– A harder plastic and it can be very highly polished and coloured
– It is less liable to aging and attack by body acids
– It has good dimensional stability, and so the sides do not need to
be reinforced
– It requires a higher temperature to make it pliable than the
cellulose plastics, and if you attempt to bend it before this
temperature is reached it is brittle and will snap.
– As with cellulose acetate, Perspex frames are usually cut from
flat sheets of the raw material
 cont

5. Optyl (an epoxy resin)

– It is lighter than cellulose acetate and has
very good dimensional stability – it is only
reinforced for a short distance in the butt of
the side
– The frame is made by moulding and needs to
get very hot to make it “limp and floppy”
before it can be adjusted
 cont

6. Nylon
– Nylon can be used to make frames which are virtually
unbreakable
– The colour range is usually limited –often black and
brown and always opaque
– The frames are manufactured by injection moulding
– They are difficult to adjust – they do not require heat
to make them pliable, but revert easily to the original
shape unless the tip of the side is reinforced to
prevent this
 cont
7. Carbon Fibre
– A very strong and flexible material and a major
component in it is nylon.
– Very little heating is necessary, and they can be
adjusted cold.
– Like nylon, the colour range is limited and usually
dark opaque colours
– Some frames have decorative coloured coatings, and
care must be taken not to damage these when
adjusting the frame –they may crack if cold, but blister
if too hot.
 b. Metals

1. Base Metal
– The bulk of most metal frames is a “base metal” which is usually
an alloy of nickel with some tin, zinc and copper.
– The most “famous” base metal is called “nickel silver” which is
14% nickel but contains no silver
– There is a suggestion that regulations may be introduced in the
future to ban the use of nickel because it creates allergy in about
3% of the general population and is carcinogenic.
- The base metal tends to tarnish and is not particularly
attractive, so it will usually be covered with another, shiny metal
coating
 cont

– This may be CARAT GOLD (e.g. 14 carat, which is 14/24ths

pure gold)
– Covering with rhodium or chromium gives a “silver” coloured
frame
– The gold may be applied in a very thin layer by
ELECTROPLATING
– A matt black finish can be created by plating with chromium
oxide, but it may simply be a coloured plastic layer. These
coloured layers are applied as a powder and then melted to
even coating.
- Some metal frames have an outer clear plastic layer for protection
 cont

2. Gold and Silver

– Frames made solely of these materials are very rare
– These metals have the advantage that they are unreactive ( and
so are likely to be non-allergenic) but they are too expensive and
too soft to be used alone
– An alternative to electroplating gold onto a base metal is
ROLLED GOLD or GOLD FILLED
– This is where a hollow cylinder of gold is soldered around a rod
of the base metal and then this is drawn out to make the wire
from which the frame is made. The layer of gold is thicker but
more uneven, and the frame will usually be labelled with some
measure of the gold content, such as “1/1000” or “1/20 14ct”
 cont

3. Stainless Steel
– An extremely strong metal which can be very difficult to adjust
when thick, but its strength allows it to be used for very fine
frames
4. Aluminium
– Very lightweight and can be given a coloured matt or gloss finish
– This outer is in fact aluminium oxide and this protects the metal,
but care must be taken not to crack it when adjusting the frame.
- Aluminium frames can usually be distinguished by the fact that
the joints are riveted to the front and sides (as in a plastic frame)
whereas all other metal frames will be soldered
 cont

5. Titanium
– The ultimate non-allergenic material. The
frames are very expensive, and all frame
components (even the screws) are made of
titanium.
– Very lightweight
– Does not corrode
 c. Nylon cord frames
Also called string mounted or nylon supra frame

Hold the lenses in place by means of a nylon cord that fits around
the edge of the lens

Usually the top of the lens is fitted in to the upper rim of the frame

The rest of the lens has a small groove cut into an otherwise flat
edge
 d. Rimless mounting
Hold the lenses in place by some method other
than eye wires or nylon cord

Used screws, cement , clamps and plastic posts

for attachment at nasal & temporal side of the
lenses
 Spectacle frame terminology

Definition
 Spectacles – an optical appliance comprising lenses & a frame or
mount with sides extending towards or over the ears
 Eyeglasses –an optical appliance comprising a lens or lenses & a
frame or mount , but having no sides
 Frame –spectacles or eyeglasses, considering without the lenses,
having rims which will substantially or completely surround the
lenses
 Mount –spectacles or eyeglasses, considered without the lenses,
having no rims, or having rims which do not substantially surround
the lenses
 Defn-cont

 Front –the part of the frame or mount comprising the

bridge , rim (if any), joints and lugs
 Bridge –that part of the front which forms the main
connection between the lenses or rims
 Pad –an extension of, or attachment to, the bridge or rim
to bear on the nose
 Brace bar –a strengthening bar joining the rims,
additional to the main bridge
 Side –an extension of , attachment to, the front passing
towards or over the ear
 Defn-cont

 Rim –that part of the frame or mount which partly or

completely surrounds the lens
 Lug –an extension at each end of the front to which the
joint or side is attached
 Joint –the hinge linking the side & the front . This usually
consists of two parts joined by a screw & is the means of
closing the side across the lens
 Groove –channel in the rim intended to retain the lens
 Frame description

Frame material
Plastics- frame of which the essential parts of the front are made of
plastic material
Metal-frame of which the essential parts of the front are made of
metal
Combination
Nylon cord frame
Rimless
Half eye
Type of bridge
Fixed pad bridge- ex: plastics
Adjustable pad bridge – ex: metal (commonly called pad bridge )
 Frame style

Full rim- spectacles in which the lenses are secured in a

rim (plastic or metal) around the entire perimeter of the
lens
Supra –spectacles in which the lenses are held in
position by thin bands or nylon cord around all or part of
the perimeter of the lens
Rimless –spectacles in the lenses are secured to a
bridge & lugs by screws, clamps ,rivet or other devices
Half eye –a shallow frame designed for reading
correction to sit lower on the nose than normal & are
only half as high as normal frame