There were days when wearing glasses was considered 'uncool' - children wearing glasses worried about being termed ugly.

A new study points to the changing societal perceptions - kids who wear glasses were rated as "cooler" than those who didn't. 

The Ohio State University study involved children aged between 6 and 10 who were otherwise ignorant of the looks or attractive of their specs-wearing peers, their potential as a friend or their athletic abilities.

A total of 80 young children - 42 girls and 38 boys were surveyed.

Of these, 30 kids (38 %) wore glasses, 34 had at least one sibling with glasses and almost two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses.

Presenting with photos of a child and another without glasses, the participants were asked which of the two, they would rather play with:-

• the one who looks smarter;
• looked better at playing sports;
• was better looking;
• looked more shy;
• and more honest.

Most of them felt kids with glasses looked "smarter and more honest" than those without glasses.

“These findings might come in handy when children are fitted with their first pair of eyeglasses”, said the study's co-author Jeffrey Walline.

"If the impression of looking smarter will appeal to a child, I would use that information and tell the child it is based on research," Walline said.

Most kids getting glasses for the first time are sensitive about how they're going to look. Some kids simply refuse to wear glasses because they think they'll look ugly.

Findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of the Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics journal.

Photograph: Getty Images