Patsy Webber has 11 pairs of eyeglasses, and expects to pick up a few more for good measure. Webber is part of a growing trend of consumers treating eyewear as a fashion statement.

"Glasses bring out the individual," she said, adding "I decided that if I was going to wear glasses that I wanted them to make a statement."

That they do. There is, for example, the bright red and white pair Webber wears when she's in an artistic mood. She also has three pairs of prescription sunglasses.

While some buy glasses to match outfits, Webber buys outfits to match glasses. For her, "my glasses come first."

That's music to the ears of Julie Kubsch, owner of Specs Around Town Optical Boutique in downtown Bloomington, where Webber buys her glasses.

"There's always been a cult of eyeglass-wearer people, but now it's more mainstream," said Kubsch, who sees logic in the trend. "How much do women spend on purses? You put it (the purse) on the floor near your feet and how many people see it?" she asked.

The same applies to shoes, she said. "You don't shake hands and look at their feet. You look at their face."

Kubsch herself has eight pairs of glasses.

Celebrities are, if not leading the trend, at least embracing it. For example, actor Johnny Depp is often pictured in stylish glasses, as is "Saturday Night Live" alum Tina Fey. "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson also reaches for stylish frames.

Webber believes this has an impact.

"I think people say 'If these people wear glasses, maybe it's not so bad,'" she said.

Webber, co-owner of Ryan Pharmacy in Bloomington, didn't start wearing eyeglasses until she was around 40, but is now making up for lost time, having packed nearly a half-dozen pairs on a recent week-long trip to New York.

Teresa Beland, of Normal, has multiple pairs as well. She wears her bright and cheery pair to cheer home-bound health care patients, but also has a dressy pair and a more business-like pair. She plans to add another pair or two to her collection.

"Because I have to wear glasses, I want to make them fun," she said, adding that she believes this is money well spent.

"What affects your looks more than what you have on your face," she asked?

Beland won't get any argument from Lonnie Landess, an optician with McLean County Eye Center.

"Styles are so much more fun now," Landess said, noting "from our perspective this is a good trend."