Evolving Bifocal Glasses to Keep Up With Contacts

The American man of scientific discipline, Benjamin Franklin, who endured both nearsightedness as well as presbyopia, invented bifocal reading glasses in 1784 to obviate having to frequently alternate between 2 pairs of glasses.

The original lens pair for rectifying astigmia were distributed by the British stargazer George Airy within 1825.

Along the history of bifocal reading glasses, the building of pectacle frames also progressed. In early stages glasses were contrived to be either held in place with your hand or by maintaining force on the bridge of the nose. Girolamo Savonarola noted that eyeglass lenses could be held in place with a ribbon placed over a person’s head, which in turn was held secure by the weight of a hat.

During recent bifocal history, the contemporary fashion of bifocal spectacles supported by temples passing over the ears, was produced in 1727 by the British lens maker Edward Scarlett. These designs were not at once prosperous, however, and various styles with attached handles like “scissors-glasses” and lorgnettes remained fashionable throughout the eighteenth and into the early nineteenth century.

In the early 20th century, Moritz von Rohr at Zeiss produced the Zeiss Punktal spherical point-focus lens system which controlled the eyeglass lens domain for several years.

Despite the improving fame of contacts and laser restorative eye surgery, eyeglasses stay rather common, as their engineering has continued to improve. For example, it’s currently possible to buy frames constituted of special memory metal alloys that return to their correct configuration after being bent. Other frames have spring-loaded hinges.

Glasses have come a long way, haven’t they? In fact, today you can even buy rimless bifocal glasses.

Most of these designs are also distinctly better able to resist the rigors of everyday wear as well as the periodic accident. Modern frames are also frequently made from solid, light-weight materials such as titanium alloys that were not available in earlier times.

Posted by crexland   @   30 March 2010

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