Why were eyeglass lenses so big in the 80s and 90s?

Question

Then in the 2000s suddenly eyeglass companies were making the lenses smaller.

Steve Urkel (Family Matters)
Tracey Gold (Growing Pains)
Lisa Loeb
Bill Gates

Answer 1

Pure fashion.

There are only so many things you can do to next year's spectacles to make them different.
Big/small, round/square lenses
Thin/thick rims in a range of materials or rimless.

In the 80's people were wearing great thick heavy lenses because big frames were fashionable.
Recently special "cramped" multifocal lenses have been designed because people want lenses too small to allow the mounting of conventional ones.

(I'm so old I remember flares the first time round.
With tartan wedge inserts too...)

Answer 2

styles change