From top: JOAN COLLINS 9932 from New York Eye/A Hart Specialties Company; AURORA from Anglo American Eyewear; ELLEN TRACY Stardust from ClearVision Optical; TOM FORD Elisabeth from Marcolin USA

Optic's going buggy. Rendered in plastic, metal, large or small, in any hue, the bug-eye shape is everywhere— hugging the eye for added sun protection while screaming with "notice-me" fashionality.

    A Real Bug Eye...

Bees, flies and other insects possess compound eyes that differ dramatically from those of mammals. A bee’s eye, for example, contains hundreds of different facets, each with its own clear (crystalline) front lens and light-sensitive cells that process images. In contrast, the human eye has only one lens and one inner back layer (retina) where light sensitive cells are found.While an insect’s eye is not nearly as capable of seeing distance as a human’s eye, it is extremely adept at detecting motion and close-up objects. Such insects as bees, also, can see in UV ranges invisible to humans, giving them the ability to distinguish details and contrasts in flowers.

Senior Features Editor GLORIA NICOLA   •   Photographed by Ned Matura