The weight of spectacle frames and the area of their nose pads.

The current international standard for spectacle frames recommends that frames weighing up to 25 g should have a minimum nose-pad contact area of 200 mm(2) and that those weighing over 25 g should have a minimum contact area of 250 mm(2). It is shown that these recommendations are being almost universally ignored for frames with separate pads on arms. The information on frame materials in manufacturers' literature is woefully inadequate but, from the information available, there was little difference in weight between stainless steel frames and those from unnamed materials.