Washington: Time to rewrite the old saying about boys not making passes at girls who wear glasses. They well may - and vice versa.

According to a new study that points to changing societal perceptions, kids who wear glasses were rated as “cooler” than those who didn't - a far cry from days when those wearing glasses was seen as nerdy, or even ugly.

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

Eighty young children - 42 girls and 38 boys - were surveyed. Of those, 30 kids (38 percent) wore glasses, 34 had at least one sibling with glasses and almost two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses.

Presented with photos of a child with and another without glasses, the participants were asked which of the two they would rather play with; looked smarter; looked better at playing sports; was better looking; looked more shy; and looked more honest.

Most thought kids with glasses looked smarter than those without. They also felt kids wearing glasses looked more honest.

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 journal Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.