It's hard to believe the changes of public perception of eyeglasses and the people who wear eyeglasses. Two generations ago people's identity could be categorized by the eyewear they chose to best suit their personality or the personality they wished to become. We can point to the theatre, which used eyewear "props" to indicate who were the "goodies" and who were the "baddies." In early theater the character who wore eyeglasses was marked by the audience as an educated intellectual, a seeker of truth and justice. His role was to dole out advice that was wise and good. Other positive traits which eyewear suggested were, in many cases, guilelessness, humor and wisdom.

Do you remember the heavyweight, dark zyl rims like the Ambassador? It conveyed a sense of power and strength. A carefree, casual impression can be seen in the sporty attitude of sunwear styles. In an "oldie but goodie" Woody Allen film, we have a victim-hero who is held in contempt by his peers. He suffers the ultimate insult as his tormenters stomp upon his glasses, the only symbol of our hero's positive image. Unfortunately the influence of similar stories led directly to the creation of labeling eyeglass wearers as Nerds, Dorks or Geeks. Today, several generations later, a study was released from the University of Melbourne, Australia, that sought to analyze the problem. Their results concluded that eyeglass wearers ought not to be stereotyped as Geeks, Nerds or Dorks. This recent study looked into the personality of myopes. Five major personality factors were administered by the researchers at the University of Melbourne. They were openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

Their conclusion was as follows: "The long held views that myopic persons are introverted and conscientious may reflect intelligence and related stereotypes rather than real correlations. Furthermore, the predictive characteristics of intellect connected with openness, appeared to be representative of a previously reported link between the IQ and myopia rather than the personality and myopia."

The researchers also add, "We have literally busted the myth that the people who wear glasses are introverted or have particular personality characteristics. They are more likely to be agreeable and open, rather than closed or introverted."

The researchers studied 633 twins and a comparative group of 278 family members over a four year period. Results showed that comparison of family members and twins revealed no link between myopia and introversion. Good eye care, we know, is very important, but unfortunately, the image perceived is not always good. Some modern teenagers have adopted the "Geeky-Nerd" image as their very own cause. A cult has arisen that extols the high IQ and unusual creative gifts. They set themselves apart from the herd and take pleasure in the stereotype of the "Geek, Nerd, Dork" personality.

They prefer to be different in this manner and may desire eyewear even if it is not required. They sometimes make their statement by taping the bridge, as if it had been broken and repaired with little thought as to the appearance. This is in imitation of the typical "Nerd" seen in some films geared towards teenagers and younger audiences.

Any experienced eye care provider will attest to the fact that many children present themselves in our offices at the behest of an interested parent, nurse or teacher. The youngster will report that his/her vision is satisfactory with no complaints. The examiner soon discovers uncorrected V.A. at levels well below normal. Distance vision tasks are impossible and the student is failing in his/her grades. Others who have been prescribed needed corrections inform the eye care provider that he/she "lost" the glasses a year ago just two days after they were dispensed. It leaves little to the imagination to understand that incentives are required to correct this aberration. The young patients must be convinced that they are joining an elite group whose appearance suggests knowledge and power. Hopefully this can remove the stigma of disability once associated with eyewear.