Awesome Eyeglasses

Coffee grounds aren’t easy to dispose of in an eco-friendly way. A startup in Kyiv, Ukraine, came up with a clever use for the waste – eyeglass frames. Business Insider shows us how OCHIS combine the grounds with plant oils and other sustainable elements, presses them until solid, then cuts them into eyeglass parts.

The Hamster Miniature Studio 2 aka HMS2 specializes in making really tiny objects. In this video, they decided to build a tiny pair of eyeglasses. They have see-through lenses, and are hinged so they can fold. If our action figures ever have a vision problem, we know where to turn.

Readerest’s tiny magnetic holder secures your eyewear to your clothes. Even if you forget that you put them there, the strong magnets will make sure that your glasses stay put. You can also use them to hang IDs, earphones and other slim objects.

ROAV’s incredibly thin and stylish sunglasses fit just about anywhere, thanks to their lightweight sheet metal frames and unique micro-spring hinges. They’re screwless, and adapt to the size of each wearer’s head for a comfortably snug fit. They release fresh designs monthly.

YouTuber How to Make Everything’s latest project is a pair of prescription glasses. While gathering the raw materials needed for them is surprisingly easy, processing those materials is incredibly hard and time-consuming. Especially if you go it blind.

Most sunglasses and even prescription glasses are manufactured, sold and even prescribed by people who work for just one company – Luxottica. As one would expect from a near-monopoly, Luxottica jacks up prices and stifles or outright buys out its competitors.

Fello offers designer quality sunglasses for half the price. They come with an unbelievable warranty; if anything happens to them, they’ll replace them for free. Fello also gives back with each pair, working with a charity that helps provide vital eye care in developing countries.

Shwood’s limited-edition Newspaper collection eyewear is made by pressing and gluing layers of recycled newsprint into wood-like logs, then cutting them into eyeglass shapes. Available in sunglass and RX models.

Spine’s unique high-tech hinges use a micro-injected metal which allows them to flex and adapt to any size or shape head, while providing a comfortable and firm fit. Available in several frame designs, both for optical and sunglasses.

Shwood teamed up with Louisville Slugger to create these awesome limited-edition shades that are perfect for a sunny day at the ballpark. They’re made from reclaimed ash wood from old and broken baseball bats.

Hungary’s Tipton Eyeworks upcycles old vinyl records into stylish eyewear with a unique and “groovy” texture. Each is hand-assembled using laser-cut vinyl, and comes in a matching case made from an old 45.

EXOvault’s Kingsland eyeglasses have solid aluminum frames. You can order just the frames or with non-prescription lenses installed. Available in silver and black; more colors and plating options coming soon.

Simple functionality and a low-key design make ION optical and sun smartglasses a great idea. Customizable LED lights in the frame provide notifications while bluetooth capability allows you to control a smartphone or tablet remotely.

A hip collection of glasses from Cynthia Rowley’s Mr. Powers. They offer a diverse array of urban looks, our faves being Nos. 24 in gold, 97 in green horn, and 41 in black. They’re well priced and available w/prescription lenses.

Sam Hilliard’s retro chic SomNoir eyewear collection features genuine bull horn from India, which is frequently removed to protect the herd from one another. Each pair is one of a kind and handcrafted in San Francisco.

Even with The Force on your side, sometimes your eyes still need a little help. Choose from Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Stormtrooper or Boba Fett frames, and then pop in your prescription.

Engineered to help athletes better focus their vision “on the ball”, and enhancing object tracking these high-tech glasses use an LCD shutter similar to 3D glasses. Example visual drills here.

Gucci’s anti-reflective, mirror-coated aviators feature curved lenses with circular polarized technology, optimal for movie theatre Real D systems. Coming Holiday 2010. (Thanks Thorir!)

While most of you guys are probably too young to need bifocals or reading glasses, you may be able to completely avoid them thanks to these new high-tech glasses with an adjustable focus slider.

Next time you go out to see a 3D movie, don’t look like a dweeb with those cheap glasses the theater gives you. You’ll be the hippest one in the row in these designer polarized lenses for RealD movies.

Grab your Members Only Jacket and slip on a pair of Nike’s Vintage ’72 sunglasses for some hip retro style. Featuring an oversized frame, you’ll get an aviator-inspired look with maximum sun protection.

Designer Andreas Licht creates stylish eyeglasses from maple, pear and walnut woods. Tones and textures vary in each pair, and the individual grain of the wood is preserved like the rings in a tree.

That “j” is no typo–Indivijual Eyewear is all about unique, one-of-a-kind eyeglasses and sunglasses that are not only perfectly sized but match your hair, skin, eyes and personality.