The perception of eyeglasses has evolved over time—and in Western populations, eyeglasses have become more popular. Has a similar shift occurred in other societies, such as the Arab world—and could this have implications for the growing rates of myopia? A Jordanian study could hold the answers.
When it comes to fashion, there’s only one constant— change. You know that from your own experience. There’s no doubt there are a few pictures from your teenage years that you’d rather block out from memory, whether that’s because you were wearing some rather bizarre clothing or sporting an ill-advised haircut. No part of society is immune to change, and that includes optometry.
For a long time, eyeglasses were very much not in—deemed uncool, unfashionable, and generally perceived to be unappealing. A common movie trope from a couple of decades ago often involved a character’s beauty being unveiled by them taking off their eyeglasses. This reinforced the old notion that glasses were for geeks, nerds, and people who, though smart, might lack confidence and beauty.
Times have changed, however, and now the concept of ‘geek chic’ has become popular. Some attribute this to the popularity of media franchises like Harry Potter, which has contributed to making glasses cool. Today, it’s not unusual to spot models or actors sporting eyeglasses.
Glasses are now in! But has this change in perception extended to a worldwide phenomenon?
Crossing borders, changing perspectives
“Over the years, the societal view of glasses has undergone notable transformations, transitioning from a negative impact decades ago, largely influenced by portrayals in movies, to a more positive image with the advent of stylish eyewear,” shared Dr. Saif Aldeen AlRyalat, an ophthalmologist at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. “This evolution prompted the conceptualization of our research project, to have more robust data when we counsel our patients who need glasses.”
The research Dr. AlRyalat is referring to is his own study, entitled The Effect of Wearing Eyeglasses on the Perception of Attractiveness, Confidence, and Intelligence.* Conducted at the University of Jordan in the country’s capital of Amman, the study examined the issues outlined in its title generally and with specific insights from an Arab cultural perspective.
“Our study, primarily focused on Arab populations, prompts consideration of the broader implications of our results for diverse ethnic groups. However, we assert that while our study, published by The Cureus Journal of Medical Science in 2022, concentrated on a particular ethnic group, the identified patterns may have broader universal implications for diverse populations, given that our sample recruitment encompassed diverse universities in Jordan with international students,” Dr. AlRyalat explained.
“Our decision to specifically examine attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence was grounded in a thorough literature review. It is imperative for us to study how wearing glasses extends beyond mere vision correction,” he continued.
The social impact of eyeglasses
The research was carried out as a cross-sectional study at five main Jordanian universities. A total of 517 participants were given a survey containing photos of four people, both with and without glasses (a total of eight photos). The researchers used two photos of males and two photos of females, all with Arab features and within the college-going age range.
They were then instructed to rate the photos on a scale of 1 to 10 regarding attractiveness, confidence and intelligence. Participants were then asked to provide a score for each of these three domains. To prevent bias, the images were shuffled to ensure that the image of a person with or without glasses would appear again after every five to six images.
Among the 517 participants in the study comprising 182 (35.2%) men and 335 (64.8%) women, the mean age was 22.02 (±1.85) years. Of the participants, 346 (66.9%) did not wear glasses, and the majority of the included sample (88.2%) had not undergone refractive surgery.
Pictures without glasses received higher ratings across all three domains compared to the same images with glasses. The difference in ratings was more evident for female images than for male images. The main difference among respondents was observed among those who did not wear eyeglasses—they were significantly more likely to assign higher scores for attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence to non- eyeglasses wearers than those who did wear glasses.
Eyeglasses equal perceived intelligence
In previous studies, the effect of wearing eyeglasses on intelligence perception varied among different areas and ethnicities. In one French study cited by the Jordanian researchers, people with eyeglasses were considered to have a higher socio-professional status than those without glasses. While acknowledging that incorporating more diverse images, including more variations in eyeglass rims, diverse facial features, etc., would provide better context for future studies, Dr. AlRyalat believes the study highlights that the perception of eyeglasses is not immutable across cultures.
“While our study showed a negative impact of wearing eyeglasses on intelligence rating, studies on Western populations found a positive impact on intelligence perception for people wearing eyeglasses. This might represent a sort of social stigma related to wearing glasses among Jordanians,” Dr. AlRyalat said.
“Emphasizing the positive social impact associated with wearing glasses may serve to increase patient compliance and contribute to an enhancement in overall self-esteem. A noteworthy trend that appeared recently is when patients express a desire for [wearing] glasses even in the absence of refractive error for aesthetic reasons. This underscores the evolving positive perception of glasses in contemporary society,” he added.
Highlighting a ‘positive social impact associated with wearing glasses’ could prove beneficial to many optometrists as they grapple with growing rates of myopia. The disease has taken on near- pandemic dimensions and affects Arab nations like Jordan and Western societies alike. Solutions such as contact lenses, refractive lasers, and surgeries offer alternatives to eyeglasses. However, these options are more expensive than eyeglasses.
Changing perceptions to fight myopia
Dr. AlRyalat believes that the results of his study illuminate the role of social factors in the perception of eyeglasses, and that these factors can be changed. Alternatives to eyeglasses are ‘prestige’ options, prohibitively expensive in many parts of the world, including Jordan. By portraying glasses in a favorable light, he believes that individuals may lean towards considering eyeglasses as a socially acceptable and beneficial option for conditions like myopia.
“The escalating global rates of myopia underscore the significance of our study’s potential impact on the array of options available to patients, including eyeglasses and alternative modalities, such as contact lenses, refractive lasers, and surgical interventions. In the face of the surging prevalence of myopia worldwide, our findings highlight eyeglasses as a secure, cost-effective treatment option compared to alternative modalities,” Dr. AlRyalat confirmed.
“Our study looked into an invention from the 9th century by an Arabic inventor and how it is still the most cost-effective treatment modality for refractive error—an increasingly prevalent problem in the 21st century. Emphasizing positive social impact associated with wearing glasses may serve to increase patient compliance and contribute to an enhancement in overall self-esteem,” he concluded.
Reference
* AlRyalat SA, Jumaah M, Al Hajaj SW. The Effect of Wearing Eyeglasses on the Perception of Attractiveness, Confidence, and Intelligence. Cureus. 2022;14(3):e23542.
Editor’s Note: This article was published in COOKIE Magazine Issue 14.