Mike Christiansen designs practical, unique eyewear

August 9, 2010

Though Mike Christiansen originally dreamt of becoming an architect, the Edmonton, Canada, resident has found his passion lies in the creation of functional, subtle eyeglasses frames, according to the Edmonton Journal.

Christiansen launched Venus Eye Design in 2001, originally featuring just six of his own designs. Since that time the company has expanded to include five different product lines and a total of 450 different styles.

The designer said he listened to his customer's request when creating the lenses. "[The eyeglasses industry] is a huge market that cannot be ignored because more than 60 percent of Canadian eyewear consumers fall within this demographic," he told the news source. "The vast majority of consumers won't buy crazy styles. They want something different and trendy but simple enough that it can be worn every day."

Christiansen's line of children's eyewear, known as the QT-pie line, features colorful frames with names like cherry cheese cake, peanut butter ripple, bumbleberry pie and spiced pumpkin.

According to the American Optometric Association, good vision is essential to a child's learning. Children should be taken to in for regular eye exams to detect problems early on.