ReZoom

When 20/20 vision becomes a thing of your past, it's time to envision yourself wearing the hottest trend to hit the baby-boomer scene -- colorful, fun, in-your-face reading glasses. We're not talking about the bargain Dr. Dean's you bring home by the half dozen to leave strategically placed around the house or office. The visual we had in mind for both modern male and female pre-bi-optics are specs in quirky shapes and irreverent colors.

"Why bother putting on a terrific suit, a fabulous outfit or wearing terrific shoes, if you are going to put a cheap pair of readers on your face?" asks Julie Allinson, who founded Eyebobs when she personally encountered a limited choice of either the utilitarian dime store variety or costly fashion frames. Her popular eye wear, which can be described as reading glasses for the slightly jaded, comes in the usual variety of strengths. Like most of the trendy quality readers, Eyebobs can be re-fitted with prescription lenses.

Eyelady.com offers an additional option. "Reading glasses and sunreaders can reflect the personal style, the glamour and the fun of today's baby boomer," says Melissa Herman, owner of Melissa Eyewear and Eyelady. Her line of fashionable visionwear for the far-sighted includes collapsible readers, pendant magnifiers and even lorgnettes if you're interested in some old-fashioned drama.

Must-haves for reading menus or for scanning theater programs are the easy-to-stash in a pocket or evening bag, compact Popeyes glasses by Scojo. Gel readers and sunreaders also by Scojo are another practical alternative, because they are bendable, feather light, have UVA/UVB protection and come in an array of colors. In addition, Scojofoundation is partially funded by Scojo's profits. The Foundation helps provide glasses to citizens in India, El Salvador and Guatemala so they can sustain their livelihoods as their up-close vision declines.

Now that your eyes are open to new possibilities in reading glasses, here are your best choices:
* Rectangular looks are favorites with men right now and enhance most face shapes.
* Frames in black and browns are safe for men, but for compliments and higher visibility, deep burgundy, olive, blue and clear rimless styles with bright hued sides look cool.
* Women are grabbing readers in shades of red and pink, but really going for almost every color and look with gusto. Duo and tri-tones make a hot statement. And even though there are those rules about face shape and glasses, most women just wear what they like.

These trendy glasses run from about $22 to $150, which is a reasonable price to pay when you're getting both function and style. This combination prompts many to fill these frames with prescriptions that address an array of vision problems. Most ophthalmologists will agree that these ready-made readers (and even the drug store labels) are optically just fine for reading — adding that there are situations which do require prescription adjustments. Optometrists on the other hand, will more often advise getting prescription lenses. When in doubt, get your eye doctor's advice during your regular vision check-ups.