JOHN LENNON wore tiny, round, metal-framed ones. Elvis Costello and Morrissey favour the dark, thick-framed national health variety, while Bono goes for the wraparound “fly” look. Elton John has hundreds, probably thousands of them — which he apparently sells off in bulk to Dame Edna when he grows tired of them. Ex-Golden Horde frontman Simon Carmody wears them in nightclubs, while former Mott The Hoople singer, Ian Hunter wore them constantly, never ever exposing his eyes to public view.

Movie stars wear them all the time, no doubt to deflect the flashbulbs of the prying paparazzi, as well as to protect their million dollar eyes from the UV rays of the California sun. Rock stars use them, most likely to cover the excesses of the night before, or simply to appear aloof, distant and narcissistic, as is their normal stance these days.

US presidential bodyguards wear them to hide their ever-suspicious eyes, Mafia dons hide behind them, presumably to conceal that cold-blooded stare, while eternal optimists wear rose-coloured ones!

Now ordinary, everyday folk are increasingly becoming aware of the possibilities and potential of wearing them — whether to enhance their appearance or simply to allow them to view the world in a clearer perspective.

We’re talking here, of course, about spectacles, glasses, shades, bi-focals, frames — whatever you care to call them, they are once again a heavy duty fashion item. Whether it’s prescription eyewear, or sun protection you’re after or whether you simply want to don a pair for sartorial reasons, there is now a huge choice of styles, designs and frames to suit your every mood, need and pocket. In fact most people who wear them now have several different pairs — one to suit every occasion as it were – and it’s never been easier to select and purchase the right pair for your requirements.

Optica, situated at the Royal Hibernian Way just off Grafton Street, Dublin, was established eighteen months ago with the aim of providing a complete eyewear service in one location. In the comfortable surrounds of their bright ultra-modern premises, Donal MacNally Jnr. and his helpful staff offer a comprehensive personalised service for those seeking the best in eyecare and will be happy to advise you on your needs and requirements – whatever they may be.

In order to help customers to choose from the huge variety of frames on offer, including high-fashion designed frames from style gurus like Jean Paul Gaultier, Optica have installed a unique, state-of-the art computer-vision system. This enables the customer to sample different types and styles of frames at their leisure before choosing the ones they feel most comfortable with. In the past, one of the major recurring problems for short-sighted people was that they – literally – couldn’t see themselves in the mirror when they tried on new frames. The computer-vision system videos you with the frames on and you can then replace your own glasses and look at yourself on a TV monitor. It is an extremely helpful innovation.

Meanwhile, with spring in the air and those continental holidays looming ever closer Optica have now launched their full summer range of sunglasses, including designer lines like Oakley and Arnet, to complement their already wide range of prescription eyewear. As the song says, “the future’s so bright you just gotta wear shades!”

For those who prefer not to wear glasses, and particularly for short-sighted people involved in contact sports, Contact Lenses have proven to be the perfect solution. But despite what you might think they are not new on the scene. The first contact lenses used to aid vision were developed in 1887 and were made from solid glass. By 1950, modern lens material and methods of design began to be introduced, but it is only in the last twenty-five years that contact lenses have achieved widespread popularity. Wearing them requires a degree of care and attention and good hygiene is essential if problems are to be avoided.

The Eyesright range of Contact Lens Care Products represents the latest in European standards for taking care of your contact lenses. Among the products in this new range are Eyesright Daily Cleaner, Eyesright Disinfecting Solution and Eyesright Neutralising Tablets. There is a clear set of guidelines as to how these products are to be used and, if this is followed, the results are highly satisfactory. What’s even more is this: now available in Ireland and distributed by Abdine, a Drogheda based company the Eyesright range is the first to be sold through supermarkets with a resulting improvement in price. They are now available in all branches of Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices, so they can be conveniently purchased during the weekly shopping trip.

The launch of ReNu Multi-Purpose Solution by Bausch & Lomb, world leaders in contact lenses and contact lens care solutions, marks a major advance in the soft lens care market. ReNu is the perfect partner for all soft contact lenses including disposables, as it gives soft contact lens wearers an easy and highly efficient hygiene routine. ReNu contains a unique ingredient which is tough on micro-organisms but gentle on the eye so soft lens wearers just clean and rinse their lenses with ReNu, store them in it overnight and put them straight in their eyes into the morning.

ReNu Multi-Purpose Solution was launched in Ireland in 1993 and is used by more than 12 million people in over 80 countries. Using only one solution in one bottle, ReNu saves soft lens wearers the complications associated with old style lens care systems as well as saving them money.

Whether wearing contact lenses or not, almost everybody who’s anybody has at one stage owned a pair of the classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer’s sunglasses: James Dean, Bob Dylan, Michael Stipe, Mick Jagger – you name them, they’ve all been spotted sporting a pair. Ray-Bans have now become an American icon and are as much a part of the culture as Levis, Harley Davidsons and Coca Cola.

Originally developed back in the 1930’s by lens manufacturers, Bausch & Lomb to protect fighter pilots from the rays of the sun at high altitudes, Ray-Bans were soon in demand among ordinary members of the public because of their high-quality and superior styling and a legend was born.

The legend lives on . . .