Not only do eyeglasses and sunglasses help your customers see and protect their eyes from the sun, the eyewear also serves as a popular fashion accessory. Boost your sales figures by tracking trends and industry news to ensure your inventory of eyewear frames and lenses comply with safety standards and look stylish while doing it.

Whether you sell designer eyewear, fashion frames or provide related eyewear services, gather information from a variety of trusted resources by trying to:

1. Check out trends, discuss safety issues with vision care professionals and discover new display and merchandising ideas at trade shows and expos for eyewear retailers and optometrists.

2. Gather and read industry news relating to designer glasses, eyewear information and eyewear manufacturers through blogs, online publications and vision care websites.

3. Network and discuss eyewear news and trends with other eye glasses retailer representatives and vision care specialists as a member of industry groups and associations.

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Attend eyewear and fashion accessory trade shows to discover new styles and distributors

Not only will you be able to see new eyewear shapes, colors and accessories first hand at trade shows, you'll also be able to discuss ordering, pricing and marketing strategies with manufacturer representatives and wholesalers. Some shows also feature educational seminars and keynote speeches aimed at eyewear retailers.

I recommend: Source new products like eyeglasses frames and accessories at the International Vision Expo and Conference. While visiting the ophthalmic event, you’ll be able to check out new designs and discuss the eyewear industry with manufacturers and vision care experts in the exhibit hall. Check out new fashion sunglasses and discuss eyewear merchandising with distributors and retailers at Accessories the Show.

Study news relating to eyeglasses online to keep up with trends and company information

Fashion blogs, vision care websites and optometrists' news sites are just a few sources of industry news and reviews. Look for information like new styles of eyewear glasses, safety recalls, designer trends and consumer reviews.

I recommend: Get trend reports, eyewear industry news and show reviews at Vision Monday, the Optical Industry News website. Read the newsletters with new product information and check out online editions of Sunglasses magazine at the Vision Care Product News website. Eyecessorize.com covers such topics as new trends in eyewear glasses, celebrity tips and eyeglass selection basics.

Join retailer and vision care specialists' groups to track eyewear marketing and safety issues

By participating in associations with other eyewear retailers and vision care specialists, you'll be able to exchange product information, hear company news, ask safety related questions and discover sources of wholesale fashion sunglasses, driving glasses, designer shades and accessories.

I recommend: Join the Sunglass and Reader Division of The Vision Council to network with other retailers and stay up-to-date with eyewear fashions and standards. In addition to being a guild for opticians, the Opticians Association of America also accepts suppliers and owners of retail optical shops as members. Find a local chapter to discuss the industry, manufacturers, safety issues and business practices.

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Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When attending trade shows to order new styles of fashion eyewear and wholesale glasses, also look for sources of eyeglass accessories. By stocking a selection of cases, chains or cleaners, for example, you'll be able to increase your profits without sacrificing too much display space.

Looking good is important; being able to see just how good you do look is just as important. There was a time when glasses came in two styles; bold and black for men; pastel and cat-eye for women. They were just as limited in their functions; single lens for a specific purpose and bi-focal for reading and seeing distances.

When considering purchasing glasses or eyewear, most people don't have to deal with eyewear manufacturers, buying wholesale eyeglasses, or needing eyewear services. However, they will be visiting eyewear retailers, checking out fashion eyewear or designer glasses, driving glasses, or considering eyeglasses online. Additionally, there is a wealth of eyewear information from a host of optical retail outlets.

Eyewear, or eye glasses, is designed with two main components, the lens and the frame.

Lens are the "glasses" portion of eye glasses and are specifically designed to increase a person's ability to see. They come in three basic categories: single lens, bi-focal lens, and the newer transition lens. To explain, a single lens has one prescription for the whole lens; bi-focal has two and transition lens normally have three lens and unlike bi-focal they transition between the three resulting in no lines between them.

Lens can also be glass or plastic and come with a variety of coatings depending on your needs.

Frames are what holds the glass or plastic lens in place and are considered the "look" of the eyewear glasses or eye wear. Frames can be made of plastic, wood, wire, or metal. They can be very strong and static, or soft and flexible. The style or texture of the eye wear depends on the activity, from everyday wear to safety glasses or somewhere in between, along with designer eyewear or fashion eyewear.

It is entirely possible to wear eyeglasses for no more than the fashion statement they make. As sunglasses add to a look, some find that choosing a frame that achieves what they are going for and having plain glass instead of prescription lens in the frames is worth the cost associated with doing so.

To ensure that your glasses are going to look as good as they work it is necessary to do the following:

1. Get a quality eye exam.
2. Chose lens that address the sight issues.
3. Chose frames that fit your style, face, and pocket book.

Buying eyeglasses or eyewear because you need them needn't be difficult and can actually be fun.

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Getting a quality eye exam, before buying eyewear, is essential

Before choosing eyewear, whether it's fashion eyewear, driving glasses, designer glasses, or just eyewear frames, it's essential to determine IF you need glasses and if so, what type of lens.

I recommend: Pearle Vision, LensCrafters, or Sears Optical for a solid eye exam and a wide selection of frames.

Buying eyeglasses through eyewear retailers or online

Once you have your prescription, which is what the eye exam will give you, it is possible to buy your eyewear from the same store you had your exam at or online. However, if you buy them online, you will not have them fitted to you.

I recommend: EyeBuyDirect.com or Frames Direct for buying online. For general reading glasses of one lens, try Wal-Mart or Walgreens.

Finding eyewear that looks good

If you go to a retail outlet, they will be filled with frames of nearly every shape, size, color, and purpose. The best way to find the eyewear that looks good is to try them on. A sales clerk is usually a good judge when you can't see yourself as clearly as you'd like to when the frames you are trying on are filled with glass that is not of your prescription.

I recommend: eyeglass.com for their feature of matching frames to face styles. Designer frames from Eyewear Select, EyeGlasses Contacts.com, or Eyewear Palace.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can have more than one pair of glasses. As frames change you can update your look with more than one pair or with frames designed for different activities.
• •  Buying multiple-lens eyewear online doesn't offer the very valuable fitting that retail stores or an optometrist's office has.
• •  The cost of frames start as low as $40, but they can also go as high as several thousand dollars. Just be sure you really like them and they look good on you before you buy them.

There are many people dealing with the sales of eyewear to the public in various roles, from doctors who prescribe glasses or contact lenses, to the shops that sell them. From time to time, all of them need some form of informational training about the products they sell and how to sell them.

Specific eyewear customer service options available online are scarce. Either the industry's larger providers have developed their own form of in-house training, or the Internet training market has not quite recognized this niche as a specific promotional field. However, there are some training options for those who are dealing in eyewear in a retail environment, as well as for those who want to become licensed opticians or eye doctors:

1. University programs prepare individuals to serve in "fashion retail," where they assist customers with the personal fashion end of finding their eyewear glasses frames and lenses, or in a medical or health care role.

2. Sales training gives eyewear retailers staff the skills they need to blend the care they give customers in eyewear selection with a proven strategy for protecting and enhancing sales revenues.

3. Online medical sites offer some insight into basic glasses and contact lens care that staff can use to pass on to customers as part of being knowledgeable about their products, and other medical sites offer training opportunities for licensing in medical eyewear fields.

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Use fashion retail program to prepare staff for eyewear retail management

Specialized college courses will help workers become adept at helping customers perfect their shopping experience when seeking eyeglasses, eyewear frames, contact lenses or other designer eyewear that will match their personal styles.

I recommend: The Art Institute of Pittsburg represents one option where students learn a combination of "fashion and retail" skills that will help them to run a retail floor including fashion eyewear customer service. Get more similar options from schools like the College of Retail Training for helping to promote eyewear through a retail space.

Get eyewear training in 'Glasses vs. Contact Lenses'

Sometimes, knowing a bit about the basics of choosing between glasses and contact lenses will help out in eyewear sales by putting the rep 'into the customer's shoes' to help make informed decisions.

I recommend: Learn about choosing glasses vs. contact lenses from the Contact Lens Manufacturer's Association info pages online. Learn about glasses or contact lenses for kids at KidsHealth.

Look for medical sites offering 'eyewear know-how' and eye health and safety

Another resource online are medical sites, often part of a hospital or other care site, that can give staffers insight into how to talk to customers about eye care with regard to products like designer glasses and contact lenses.

I recommend: Some online resources like this one from the North Shore - Long Island Jewish Health System can help staff see how customers should use contact lenses. Find more online from the Weill Cornell Medical College.

Locate info on license requirements for opticians and eye doctors and eyewear professionals

There will be licensing requirements for eye doctors by state. Would-be medical eyewear professionals should research these before seeking out a career.

I recommend: FInd out about medical eyewear pro requirements from the American Board of Opticianry online. Or get more info from the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Use directory sites to get program options for eyewear professionals

For those looking for a career in optical health care, many programs exist to train for certification. Find these on education web pages.

I recommend: Find optician job options through the Education Portal online. Find more options for trade school professionals at Trade-Schools.Net.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking for training options, always consider what will best help your staff to anticipate customer needs. A sales training, customer service training, or both might be called for better eyewear services.

When buying eyewear for yourself or your employees, or stocking your store's selection, you'll run in to a number of eyewear key terms. If you know the lingo, purchasing the right eyewear for safety or personal use can be much easier. Whether you are looking for acrylic lenses that are shatterproof or photochromatic lenses to serve as sunglasses, once you know eyewear key terms, shopping for the right pair is much easier.

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Protective eyewear

Protective eyewear comes in a wide range of options, all of which should shield the eyes. While goggles and helmet shields might serve as appropriate protective eyewear, other protective eyewear may have smaller frames and be less bulky. In fact, some designs of protective eyewear are quite stylish.

I recommend: Sperian carries a number of protective eyewear samples.

Polycarbonate lenses

Polycarbonate lenses are a type of plastic lens that is extremely durable. It's thin, lightweight, scratch-resistant and offers total UV protection. Polycarbonate lenses are a good choice for protective eyewear and safety glasses.

I recommend: Find out more about polycarbonate lenses in the article provided by Access Media Group.

Impact-resistant lenses

Impact-resistant lenses are plastic lenses that do not break or shatter easily. They must meet certain governmental guidelines to receive that classification.

I recommend: LAWriter gives the specs an impact-resistant lens must meet in order to qualify as such in the state of Ohio.

Anti-reflective lenses

Anti-reflective lenses, sometimes called no-glare lenses, reduce the amount of light reflected from the shiny surface of the glass or plastic lens. Anti-reflective lenses are especially helpful to reduce the glare of oncoming headlights to drivers. They are also good for computer users.

I recommend: Find out more about anti-reflective lenses at Essilor of America.

Multi-focal lenses

Multi-focal lenses allow the wearer to see near distances and far distances without the traditional lines of bifocal lenses. The lens is smooth and appears like a single focal lens. The user looks through the top part of the lens for distance and the bottom part for close-up work, such as reading. The area of the lens in between is for mid-distance use.

I recommend: Determine if you want multi-focal lenses after you read the information provided by FramesDirect.

Photochromatic lenses

Photochromatic lenses automatically change from clear when they are indoors, to dark when they are outside in bright sunlight. Photochromatic lenses can serve in place of prescription sunglasses. They also provide UV protection from the sun's rays.

I recommend: Transitions Optical explains how photochromatic lenses work.