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What's New in Eyeglasses for
Kids and Teens

...continued from What's New in Kids' Eyewear

Konishi Flex-Titanium Kids: Proprietary Frame Materials
That Bend Without Breaking

December 2011 — If your child plays sports or is just plain rough on his or her glasses, these frames may be the answer to your prayers. Konishi Flex-Titanium Kids is a line of durable, flexible frames that bounce back into shape after they're bent.

In many of the styles, the bridges are made of the company's Flex-Titanium material, while the temples are in TR-90 memory plastic. The frames come in both bright and muted colors, in both solids and bold graphic patterns. There's something for every taste in this collection. Look for them in optical stores.

Please click here for closeup photos.

Lightweight, Non-Metal Materials in Miraflex Frames for Kids and Teens

October 2011 — Made of a soft, plastic material and containing no metal components, these colorful frames by Miraflex are designed to reduce your children's risk of eye injury while at play.

The frames come in 32 colors, four shapes and 12 sizes. Most of the styles also come with an adjustable band and an anatomically designed bridge so that frames stay snug and in place — great for infants as young as 3 months and for older kids who are unusually active. Since they never need adjusting, they offer more convenience for busy parents.

Any prescription lens will fit into the frames, and they can also be made into sunglasses.

A just-launched option is the Terry Flex line, which is also metal-free but is made of a flexible nylon material that provides a look similar to that of traditional frames. Terry Flex includes a new size for teen faces.

Please click here for more photos.

Sporty Design Adds the Cool to These Frames for Teens
by Soccer Brand Umbro

August 2011 — Ready for back-to-school time are lightweight frames for teens from the British soccer apparel brand Umbro. The frames offer a high-tech, sporty look that makes them appealing to teens who might otherwise be reluctant to wear their glasses when they should.

Shown here is style number U908 in blue; it also comes in black or gunmetal.

Another new style is U912 in acetate. The closeup photo shows this rectangular frame in a brown/orange color combination. Others include black/green and blue/burgundy.

Also shown in the closeup photos is style U915, a thin metal frame in black/orange, brown/orange and gunmetal/blue.

The teen-sized collection also includes sporty sunglasses with high-quality lenses, some polarized. Please click here for closeup photos of these Umbro styles.

Back-to-School Frames for Kids From Tommy Hilfiger, Juicy and Carrera

August 2011 — If you're wondering what trends to look for in kids' eyewear for fall, here are a few, as illustrated in our popup slide show.

The Color Blue. The brand-new Tommy Hilfiger Kids collection includes great examples of this trend, with unisex looks for tweens and teens aged 9 to 16. The styles are simple, with color pops on the ear pieces or temples. And if your kid doesn't like blue, the frames come in colors such as red, brown and lilac, as well as two-tone combinations such as red/white and crystal/fuschia.

Bright Temples. Shown here, the new "Cerise" style by Juicy Girls has a soft, oval, plain front with a contrasting temple that features the Juicy Couture logo. The style also comes in rose or purple.

The collection also includes "Blaise," a rectangular style with a plain-colored plastic front and metal temples with a floral motif and the Juicy Couture logo. It comes in red fade, purple fade or tortoise.

Racecar Styling. For boys, Carrera Kids has released four metal frames, all with stainless steel fronts, flex hinges and adjustable nose pads, in brown, gunmetal or black.

All are available in optical stores nationwide.

Are Your Children's Eyes Ready for School?

July 2011 — Just in time for you-know-what, OGI Eyewear has released 10 new colorful children's frames in its OGI Kids series.

Shown here is style OK74, a bold statement in periwinkle and tangerine flat metals, with plastic earpieces for comfort. Other color combinations are royal purple/pink, dark olive/kiwi and eggplant/burnt orange.

The collection also includes plastic frames, all in a colorful palette and with sophisticated eye shapes for trendsetting kids. Please click here for closeup photos of this and other styles.

Adidas Launches Lite Fit Youth Frame Collection With Sporty Styling

July 2011 — Lite Fit Youth is a new collection of kids' eyewear by Adidas that is light in weight and has a cool, sporty look for the young athletes in your family.

The frames include soft nose pads for comfort, along with a non-slip rubber coating on the inside of each bendable temple, for a good grip even during sports. The frame fronts are made of steel and have embedded screws.

Several bright/white color combinations are available, and each frame has a metallic Adidas logo on the temples. The frames come in four eye sizes and six different shapes, too.

Shown here is model A992, a modified rectangle style. Each Lite Fit Youth eyeglass frame comes with a hard case and cleaning cloth.

Adidas Eyewear has pledged a $1,000 donation to Harper's Playground for every 1,000 frames sold. The organization creates playgrounds that are safe, accessible and fun for children with or without disabilities. Click here for closeup photos of more styles and colors.

Digit Brings Hip Styling to Kids' Eyewear

May 2011 — Here's a new frame collection for kids who like to look cool: Digit Eyewear. The six styles have modern, grownup frame shapes. The colors range from bright, fruit tones such as strawberry and grape to edgy combinations like brown and navy.

Shown here is Laser, a stainless steel industrial-look frame in a blue and green combination. Also shown is Kickflip, a more feminine frame with acetate temples featuring small butterflies.

Other standouts are Network, a stainless steel frame with an open bubble temple detail, and Reboot, a metal alloy frame with two-tone striping on the temples. And Thermal has a far-out flame print on each temple.

Digit Eyewear is for kids ages 6-12. Click here for closeup photos of the various styles.

Eyes Cream Shades Launches Divalicious
Sunglasses for Teens

April 2011 — Teen girls often find that adult sunglasses are sized too big, but children's sunglasses aren't fashion-forward enough.

So Eyes Cream Shades, the company that makes high-quality sunglasses for children, designed the Divalicious style especially for teen girls aged 13 to 16.

What makes Eyes Cream Shades high-quality? For one thing, the lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is recommended for kids' eyewear because its shatter-resistance makes it one of the safest lens materials around.

The lenses also filter out 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays, so your kids' eyes are well protected from the sun.

The Divalicious sunglass comes in watermelon ice, lime ice and licorice ice.

Also shown here is the Double D sunglass, a sporty style for boys aged 8 to 12. It comes in blue ice (baby blue with white accents), blackberry (deep plum with black accents) and licorice ice (black with baby blue accents).

Please click here to see more photos.

Progear Eyeguard Looks Cool and Accepts Prescription Lenses

April 2011 — Acuity Optical USA, maker of the new Progear Eyeguard, calls it the "safest sports eyewear ever created," because it's the first prescriptionable eyewear line ever to pass the sports safety standards of the United States, Europe and Japan.

The Progear Eyeguard has a polycarbonate frame with lens mounts that can accept either prescription or nonprescription lenses.

It has an interior cushion and nosepads and comes in three sizes, for kids, juniors/ladies and adults. Each size comes in four age-appropriate colors. Please click here for a closeup photo.

What's New in Kids' Eyewear continued...

[Page updated May 2013]