Spectacles change the way people view the wearer. As with any theory concerning aesthetics, finding out exactly how spectacle wear alters the perception of character is notoriously difficult. Studies tend to rely on attitudinal questionnaires (and so are fraught with potential influences from the questioner and situation) or statistical analysis of specific and wide-ranging factors such as bullying or educational achievement (inherently difficult to isolate from other variables).
That said, there is much anecdotal evidence that glasses change the way the wearer is perceived. Geek chic has helped evolve attitudes from those of Dorothy Parker, who famously declared ‘Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.’ Much of the change can be traced to a widely held assumption that spectacle wearers are more studious.
Studies have shown that wearing glasses for interviews influences the likelihood of being offered a job, especially where the role is academic in nature. There have been cases in the US where juries have been swayed by a defendant wearing spectacles (with no prescription) due to an assumption of trustworthiness. Scarier still, Pol Pot often selected spectacle wearers for persecution as they were assumed to represent the educated classes he was attempting to eradicate.
As delegates descend upon the BCLA in Liverpool this weekend, I am reminded of a recent discussion about indications for contact lens wear. The aesthetic value of contact lens wear is rarely listed in textbooks explaining the benefits of contact lenses – these tend to focus on optical and clinical advantages. Indeed, practitioners confident in suggesting a cosmetic advantage to a patient require great communication skills to avoid offence. That said, I believe the advantage is a significant one for many patients and should not be forgotten.
Last Sunday, a reader wrote to a problem page of one of the papers asking about laser surgery as he was worried about ‘spoiling his looks’ with glasses. The response from the bespectacled journalist was curt – ‘Are you really that good looking anyway?’