How to write a character with glasses

A guide for anyone wanting to write characters with glasses, but doesn’t know how yet.

Different types of visual impairment

Near-sighted – not being able to see stuff in the distance
Far-sighted – not being able to see stuff up close
Presbyopia – easier in German: Altersweitsichtigkeit = elderly far-sightedness, not being able to read small print when you’re older, sometimes end up being far- and near-sighted at the same time
Astigmatism – light is not focused evenly on the retina, results in distorted and blurry vision
It’s also pretty normal to have different prescriptions for both eyes, one being stronger/weaker than the other one

Different types of visual aids

Eyeglasses with actual glasses – easier to break, so more dangerous, can be grinded and polished differently than other material
Plastic glasses – lighter than the real glass, not that easy to get damaged
Reading glasses – only needed for reading and driving
Monocle – old-fashioned aesthetic
Bifocals – glasses that correct presbyopia, bottom is seeing closer, top for seeing in the distance
Contact lenses – different types (post about it coming soon)

How to write it?

Think about what kind of visual impairment does your character have?
What are they able to see?
Can they see basically everything, but cannot read correctly?
Can they see enough to get by, but cannot read and drive and get headaches without their glasses?
Can they only see blurred images and colours?
Do not change it halfway through the story! Choose their impairment and then stick with it.
What are situations where the glasses could hinder them?
Are they doing a lot of sport, are they getting into fights, situations where they don’t want to wear them for aesthetic reasons?
Can they not do something because of their impairment? (joining security forces, driving big trucks, etc.)
Are they annoyed that they have to wear them? Are they only wearing contact lenses or are they just avoiding wearing anything even though they can’t see everything?
You don’t have to make a big deal out of your character wearing glasses, but it does play a big part in your character’s life
Remember to put in a few references about it here and there throughout the story

Things to consider

Glasses fog up

Through temperature changes
While going outside or coming in
While sweating

Glasses need to be adjusted

They will never stay where they are supposed to be
Especially when moving around and keeping your head down
The character will need to adjust them from time to time and push them up again

Glasses need to be cleaned a lot

Everything will make them dirty
Best option are specific cleaners
If you don’t have them handy a shirt will have to do, but it needs to be the right material, synthetic stuff is not working
People with glasses will ask their friends for their shirts if they have to

Sunglasses, swim goggles and 3D glasses are impractical

3D glasses need to be over the glasses and it can be tricky to get it right
Sunglasses need the right prescription and then you would have to change glasses every time you enter a building
There are clips that go over the normal glasses, but they have to be exact to look fine
Swim goggles can also be with prescription, but you would also have to get your glasses as soon as you’re out of the water to take the goggles off and still see enough
There are also special glasses for other sports (it’s not great to do sports with real glasses, because if they break it can severely damage your eyes)

Times where you have to take the glasses off

When showering
When going to bed
When putting on shirts with a tight neckline

Glasses are expensive

Some insurances pay for them, a lot don’t
The worse the eyesight the more expensive they get
Glasses and frames are two different things and get sold separately (you can have really expensive glasses in a cheap frame or vice versa)
You also need a spare pair of glasses, if you lose yours or they get damaged (often this is just an old pair, where the prescription is no longer strong enough)

More things to consider

A new partner cannot just take the glasses and throw them to the side, when the fun starts, if it leaves the character without being able to see properly, there needs to be some more trust there
People will take the glasses and put them on, yelling ‘OMG you’re really blind!’ and then ask you how they look like, especially funny when you really can’t see them
People asking ‘how many fingers can you see?’
Light hits differently, which means you see light differently and also, it’s hard to take good pictures with glasses
Rain is a nightmare, it’s like driving through rain without a windshield wiper
Having to be careful on roller coasters and other stuff, because they can and will fly off
Especially with astigmatism it’s hard to drive at night
Going to the hair dresser can be annoying when they take your glasses off and then ask you if that’s the right length to cut it and you can’t see it
You cannot lie in bed (except on the back) without the glasses pressing uncomfortable in your face
Mascara definitely will end up on the glasses and getting that cleaned is a nightmare
Wearing hats, beanies, giant headphones and even facemasks can be extra annoying, because the arms of the frame will get in the way
You can get headaches from not wearing your glasses, from the pressure of the frame of the glasses and from wearing new and therefore glasses with a stronger prescription
Small children love glasses, as soon as they can grab stuff, they will yank them off your face if you let them get close enough
Kids will tease you about them, but after middle school it’s not really a thing anymore (mostly and as adults it’s really nothing special)
Glasses have blind spots on the sides and top and bottom, so you sometimes have to move your head more

Tropes

Blind without glasses and dropped glasses

I actually only have sharp vision for a distance of 10 cm, which means I would not get home save if I had to cross a street to get to my building without glasses
But I very rarely lose my glasses
So, the trope of someone not being able to see without them is correct in some cases, but it’s definitely not hilarious and there are not often situations where they are just without glasses and fumbling around

Being smart

People wearing glasses can be just as dumb as everyone else
Try not to make the only one wearing glasses be the smart kid

The Cure

Often found in fantasy books, people will somehow get cured from needing glasses
Getting some superpowers that eradicate their visual impairment and ‘fixing’ them

The Makeover scene

I love makeover scenes just like everybody else does
But: it’s not really cool to see the ‘ugly duckling’ suddenly becoming a beautiful swan by throwing away their glasses
And it’s impractical, if they just put them away and it was established that they can’t really see that well without them it’s just stupid to leave them at home
If they get new and cooler glasses, the person giving them to them would have needed to know their exact prescription, glasses are expensive and it takes time before they are ready
If they wear contact lenses from now on, they would also need to know the prescription and if they have never worn contact lenses before it will take some time to get used to putting them in and wearing them

Finally… please write characters with glasses. This sounds like a lot of hassle, but for most people it’s the most normal thing in the world. Studies show that soon half the world population will need glasses and I still didn’t really have a cool girl with glasses as a role model in literature when I grew up. It’s just another form of representation and I hope I can help you with this post to create some cool characters!

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How to write a character with glasses

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