According to the Vision Council of America (VCA) Envision Yourself program, there are three keys to choosing the correct eyeglass frame for your face shape:

1. The frame shape should contrast with the face shape.
2. The frame size should be in scale with the face size.
3. Eyewear should repeat your personal best feature (such as a blue frame to match blue eyes).

Also, while most faces are a combination of shapes and angles, there are seven basic face shapes: round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square. Here is a further description of these face shapes and which types of frames work for each (information comes from VCA). A good optician can help you use these guidelines to choose your new eyeglasses.

The easiest way to get a clear idea of your face shape is to consider two measurments: length and width. For accuracy, you could actually use a ruler or tape measure..., for convenience, simply pull all your hair back away from your face and look in a mirror. Once you have an idea of how the length of your face measures up to the width, take a quick look below to see what category best describes your look.