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Dr Persaud owns over 25 pairs of spectacles and sunglasses, never wears the same model two days in a row and his current favourite is a Marc Jacobs' acetate style.
He started wearing spectacles at school around the age of 16 and, like many, he viewed them as a necessary evil. This all changed when 16 years ago he met his wife Francesca Cordiero, an ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, who happens also to have an interest in eyewear fashion.
Growing confidence
'Until I met my wife I didn't even notice fashion or design,' explains Persaud. 'I'm a very academic, nerdy, type of guy who is obsessed with research and analysis. I think Fran must have been traumatised about how I looked when she first met me.'
Persaud explains that his interest in frame fashion began when Fran recommended that he wear a second tinted pair of spectacles to improve comfort while driving. Since then she has brought back frames from the many optical conferences and events she has attended around the world.
'I started to enjoy my spectacles and to feel a lot more confident about wearing them. Sometimes people come up to me in the street after seeing me on the television and comment on how much they liked a certain pair I was wearing which is very flattering. Richard and Judy often comment on my spectacles and it's brilliant having a wife who takes such an interest.'
While Persaud is at home providing expert advice about mental health issues, he prefers to let his wife choose his spectacles. 'I'd never have the confidence to go out and buy a nice frame. Fran's the one who does that. I just don't feel I know what works and what doesn't. But I do enjoy wearing what she chooses,' he says.
Persaud is seemingly more interested in the design of spectacles and how they are constructed. 'Spectacles are a very interesting area in terms of design. I would have thought there was a limit to what could be done in terms of specification. I find it interesting, for example, how a hinge can be turned into a design feature,' he says.
Persaud's collection comprises two rimless styles, four prescription sunglasses, two metals and the rest acetates. 'Men are often worried about appearing overly self-conscious or vain, but spectacles enable you to individualise your look and to express yourself. I think wearing spectacles is great fun and I love the fact that you can wear different frames to suit your mood,' he says. His sunglasses include a Police model and Ermenegildo Zegna style, which, he jokes, make him look like he is about to 'make a threat and demand the cash'.
'I have a few pairs of Gucci frames and I'm a big plastics fan too as I think it lends itself to a younger look. Metal styles can look more middle-aged and rimless frames are all much the same. Fran won't let me out of the house in my metal frames now.'
His style ranges from conservative to bold. For example, a Valentino frame from his collection in muted colours with brushed acetate sides contrasts dramatically with a bold Hugo Boss style that has bright orange acetate sides. 'Some of my frames are more casual and informal but I enjoy wearing them to work too,' he says.
Persaud's role as a consultant psychiatrist and in the media means he is required to present a learned and intelligent but also approachable image.
'Fran thinks one of the major tasks of a psychiatrist who is in the media is to look approachable and she thinks that I struggle to look normal,' he jokes.
'I dress conservatively and I always wear a suit and tie and I think the fact that I wear glasses contributes to the image of someone who is intelligent.'
Regular eye tests
His one complaint about spectacles is that they tend to look dated. 'If you have a frame that is 10 years old it really looks it. And if it's an object on your face and you are going to be photographed it is important you are not wearing something that looks battered.'
Persaud alternates the frames he wears each day to keep his appearance fresh, but he keeps the same pair on all day from running a clinic and appearing on television to attending an awards ceremony in the evening.
'The pair I choose at the start of the day will have to work wherever I go. I have a lot of confidence in Fran and assume she knows what she is doing. The wardrobe ladies for the TV shows I appear on do say that I look fantastic.'
Persaud gets his eyes tested regularly at Specsavers on London's Tottenham Court Road and helps the multiple by presenting at ceremonies for its sponsored charities. 'I like to do charity work and I am also a patron of the Retinoblastoma Society,' he adds.
Persaud has just completed his latest book Simply Irresistible - the psychology of seduction, published by Bantam Press, which follows in the footsteps of his other titles including Staying Sane, From the Edge of the Couch and The Motivated Mind.