I was traumatized for life by needing to wear glasses from the fifth grade. In those days, spectacles marked you as an outsider and a nerd, and that was not a good thing. Certainly not for somebody who was consistently at the top of the class academically and unable to afford the narrow range of clothes considered stylish in her community. Believe me, in the '60s, there were no glasses that looked good with a strapless prom dress.

I was finally able to get contacts for my sophomore year in college, and I have worn them every day for the last 40+ years. But I have long loved fashionable sunglasses and always have a pair with me, even in winter.

Nowadays, the selection of frames is so fabulous! Especially when visiting Europe, I see regular glasses that call out to me. But I am traumatized once again when I try them on my own face back at home. I'll try on 50 or 100 frames at my optometrist's office and hate every one on my face. Plus, I always wear makeup (emphasizing my eyes) and usually have earrings and something quirky going on with my hair. Glasses just don't work for me

I wear contacts to work (public setting) and to the gym/hiking (another public setting in which I sweat heavily).

I wear glasses all other times (even if I am going to be out in public). I don't care what people think when I am buying groceries or hitting the library.

Haha, I got a kick out of seeing this 3+ year old thread get revived!

I hardly ever wear contacts now. Partly it's because I LOVE my specs, particularly the emerald pair in my profile pic, and partly it's because I'm on an illuminated screen (computer or phone) nearly all day, and work in a room without any natural light. Even with glasses, my eyes sting by end of the day. With contacts, my eyes can tear up enough to lose a lens. I reserve contacts these days for days where it's raining hard, when I'm exercising a lot, or special events.