A Man Has to See

Reading glasses are an essential for many guys who need a little help seeing the finer print once their eyes get a few miles on them. The challenge is finding something worthy. We who need them use them after all in places both private and public, which leads to more than one strategy for their acquisition and deployment.

Reading glasses in one's private life are the easiest of course. When the only people around are used to seeing us at our worst, we need care only that our reading glasses magnify properly. And, since it is less than convenient to carry the things about in a state of dishabille, a strategy of scattering relatively inexpensive glasses wherever they might be required has its merits. The Cinzia Editorials in the photo (about $60) might qualify for this duty. They are reasonably attractive, well constructed and will provide much more reliable service than the kinds of things seen on those revolving racks at the neighborhood chemist.

The question then becomes what to do in the public part of one's life. Nothing wrong with the Cinzias of course. Optical quality metal and all. But they may be lacking just a little style for the pickier of us, who may prefer something a little more individual and, unsurprisingly, a little more expensive.

Imitation tortoise frames from genuine plastic may be a reasonable step up for glasses to be worn to read contracts at the office, menus in restaurants or programs at the opera. High quality plastic from a European maker costs perhaps five times the price of the Cinzias. That is wince-inducing indeed but the easy way to get over any sticker shock associated with plastic is to begin looking at frames made from natural materials. Real tortoise is probably not going to be on that list as it is no longer imported legally into the United States, and though there may be small stocks still around a pair of tortoise frames are likely to cost in the low five figures and that is far too rich for my blood. About as nice looking and far better priced are horn frames, which are very attractive and much less dear being priced from around that same $250 for glasses from Southeast Asia and increasing to $1,000 for something made by the Germans. And at that latter amount one might as well consider surgery. At least he would be done with the problem.

In the end though, compromise is likely to prevail and that might mean a couple pair of metal readers for reading at home, a pair of faux tortoise for the office and a pair of horn for for the jacket pocket. After all, a man has to see.