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Bifocal Reading Glasses and Their Technological Development
July 27th, 2010 by admin

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The American gentleman of science, Ben Franklin, who persevered both nearsightedness as well as presbyopia, devised bifocal reading glasses in 1784 to avoid having to often alternate between two sets of glasses.

The first lenses for rectifying astigmia were distributed by the British astronomer George Airy within 1825.

Along the history of bifocals, the building of pectacle frames also evolved. In early stages oculars were contrived to be either kept in place with your hand or by keeping force on the bridge of the nose. Girolamo Savonarola advised that eyeglass lenses could be kept in place with a ribbon passed over the subject’s head, which in turn was fastened by the weight of a hat.

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

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

Despite the rising fame of contacts and laser restorative eye surgery, spectacles remain quite popular, as their technology 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 bi focal sunglasses.

Many of these designs are also distinctly better capable of resisting the rigors of everyday wear as well as the occasional accident. Contemporary frames are also ofttimes constructed from robust, light-weight materials such as titanium alloys that were not obtainable in earlier times.

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