The usual reluctance children have for visiting the optometrist seems to have been replaced with enthusiasm as glasses become trendy in the playground. Young fans of the phenomenally popular Harry Potter series of books want to look like their literary hero, who dons a trademark pair of spectacles.

One chain of optometrists in the UK, Asda Vision Centers, noted the increase in children visiting its stores and actually surveyed them to find out why they were there. The company discovered that 40 percent had agreed to have an eye test because they wanted to wear spectacles like Harry Potter.

"It seemed strange that the number of eye tests for children had sharply increased over the last few weeks," said David Miles, Asda's optical business director. "You can imagine our surprise when we discovered it was due to the fact that kids wanted to look like Harry Potter. Anything that encourages children to have regular eye tests is great news."

Interest in the teenage wizard has intensified in the lead up to the highly anticipated release of the film, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Thousands of fans showed up at London's Leicester Square last night for the star-studded world premiere.

The film tells the story of the orphan Harry Potter who possesses magical powers and studies at a school for sorcerers before embarking on a series of wild adventures with his friends Hermione and Ron.