By Radhika Bhirani, IANS,
New Delhi : Women are not the only ones to fret about looks on their wedding day. Men too have joined the bandwagon – so much so that a majority of them prefer to discard their spectacles and wear contact lenses instead.
A survey by American eye care brand Bausch & Lomb reveals that 82 percent of men say they would opt for contact lenses on their wedding day.
The survey, carried out in association with market research company ACNielsen, was a quantitative study conducted across six metros on men aged 15-35 years.
According to Sunil Gadgil, general manager, Bausch & Lomb India, the trend is not only because men are getting increasingly look conscious but also due to the increase in awareness about the use of contact lenses.
“Contact lenses have not emerged recently. Just the awareness has increased and so it has boosted the consumption among a lot of people,” Gadgil told IANS.
“A lot of people who wear powered glasses wish to get the colourless contact lenses to conceal their shortcoming without wanting to change the natural colour of the eye and the demand for this is more prominent during the wedding season,” he added.
However, Gadgil also indicated the growth in demand for coloured contact lenses among men.
“While a lot of men go for colourless lenses, there are still many who like coloured ones because they consider it stylish. For them, lenses are like fashion accessories. However, few are aware that now even those people with power can get coloured contact lenses,” he said.
Karan Nagpal, 25, who is getting married in February plans to go in for contact lenses. Though he has been wearing spectacles ever since he was in school, Karan is planning to get rid of them for his D-day.
“I have worn spectacles for a long time, but my fiancée doesn’t want me to wear them now. She says I look better without them. So for the wedding ceremonies, I have decided I will not wear my glasses and instead go for colourless lenses.
“If I am comfortable, I’ll continue wearing them,” Karan said.
Gadgil says of the total number of men who try contact lenses in a given year, nearly 90 percent continue its use.
Gadgil revealed that there is an increasing demand for lenses in shades of brown.
“Brown suits Indians’ natural eye colour and also the skin colour. Earlier, darker browns were in, but now men are also going for lighter shades of the colour.
“Another lot of guys prefer more flamboyant and wacky colours like blue, grey, violet, green, etc., that can also be colour co-ordinated with their clothes. Though colour lenses have higher attraction, men above 25 years of age prefer plain contact lenses,” said Gadgil.
The price of the lenses increases with their durability.
A yearly soft lens costs around Rs.1,350 a pair, while a pair of monthly disposable lenses can be bought for Rs.350. Lenses for daily use are priced exorbitantly at Rs.100 a pair.
(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at [email protected] )