They’re part of your face — maybe the first thing people see when they look at you.

Eyeglasses are more important to your appearance than makeup or jewelry, maybe even the clothes you wear.

And it’s time they got the attention they deserve.

“Eyeglasses are becoming the new fashion accessory,” said Carol Staats at MyOptix Fashion Eyewear in Wichita, Kan.

“A lot of people are liking wearing glasses because they’re fun.”

Glasses are available in so many styles, colors, shapes and materials — with embellishments like jewels and cutouts — that some find it hard to limit themselves to just one pair.

“It’s not unusual for people to have five or six pairs,” Staats said, “for fall, summer, dressy, fun or funky.”

Even people who don’t need prescription lenses to see are accessorizing with eyewear, opticians say.

“It’s like shoes,” said Carla Brown at Howard’s Optique in Wichita. “None of us want to wear the same pair of shoes every day, in the same color.”

Consumers have more choices in eyewear than ever before, said Roxie Miller, co-owner of Kent & Roxie’s Spectacle Shoppe in Wichita.

Trends in frames are “all over the place,” Miller said, from small to large but with “bold looks and lots of color.”

And while bling is still important, it’s more refined than in past years, Kent Miller said.

Brown agrees that subtle bling is the in thing. Her shop sells glasses with diamonds, semi-precious stones or Austrian crystals gracing the temples.

Lenses come in all sizes and shapes, she said, while frames range from “delicate to something that’s real bold and out there.”

“Frames can either whisper or shout,” Brown said. “It really is all about personality.”

Colors include reds, blues, greens and purples, but the color frame you choose need not dictate your wardrobe, opticians say.

If a frame “works with your facial tone,” Brown said, “it’s going to work with anything in your closet.”

Which glasses are right for you?

Before you go to the optical store, the Vision Council of America suggests you consider these questions:

— Do you want a frame that’s delicate or bold, retro or modern, conservative or “out there“?

— Will you wear this frame all the time, mainly at work, or just when you go out on the town?

— What colors are you drawn to, what are your hair and skin colors, and what are the main colors in your wardrobe? What is your face shape?

— What do you like or not like about your current eyeglasses?

Marchon Eyewear offers an online quiz on choosing a frame. Visit

www.marchon.com/htmls_2004/rightframe.html