Remember the horn-rimmed glasses of the 50s and 60s? Or the giant goggles that were popular in the 1970s?

Back then, choices were limited and somewhat boring. And many eyeglasses wearers suffered from name-calling and the social stigma that came with glasses - Remember being called "four eyes"? Remember the movies starring nerds with taped glasses?

Those days are gone. Eyeglasses are now hip, fun, stylish and bold, and consumers have thousands of frames to choose from. Even contact lens wearers have dozens of choices. Eyeglasses, Meet the Fashion Industry!

As technology helped make lenses smaller and thinner, eyeglass designers realized that they weren't limited to the basic frame designs anymore. Coupled with consumers' growing interest in fashion and style, designers such as Prada, Yves saint Laurent and Christian Dior began manufacturing eyewear.

Everywhere you turned, stores were selling designer frames. Eyewear became an exciting accessory, a new way to add spice to one's overall look. As a result, some people now own several pairs of glasses to match their clothing, just as they may have various purses or necklaces. In fact, some people are wearing eyeglasses with no vision correction, using them just as a fashion statement!

The choices in eyewear are almost limitless.

You can buy glasses in different colors. There are big, dark frames with striking colors and thin, seemingly fragile frames. Bored with simple, oval glasses? Try some with sharp, geometric lines. Some have no rims, creating the illusion that you're not wearing any glasses at all.

You can buy glasses with plastic frames or go modern with some made from strong, lightweight titanium. And even reading glasses have become stylish - no "granny glasses" anymore!

And as stated earlier, if you prefer not to wear eyeglasses, you can choose different styles of soft contact lenses. Gone are the hard lenses, replaced by softer materials. And you can also change the color of your eyes. Try a subtle highlighting of your natural color, or change the color of your eyes completely - go from brown to blue, green or even purple.

You can even wear these lenses if you don't have vision problems.

Remember, you don't have to settle for a boring pair of glasses or contacts anymore. If you need new eyewear, you have a lot to choose from. You can still find something that is comfortable and looks good at the same time. Why not add a dash of style while improving your vision?