Bifocal Reading Glasses and Their Technological Development
The American man of scientific discipline, Ben Franklin, who endured both myopia as well as presbyopia, invented bifocal reading glasses in 1784 to obviate having to frequently switch between 2 pairs of eyeglasses.
The first lens pair for correcting astigmia were constructed by the British astronomer George Airy in the year 1825.
Along the rich history of bi focal reading glasses, the building of pectacle frames also evolved. In early stages glasses were designed to be either kept in place with your hand or by maintaining force on the bridge of the nose. Girolamo Savonarola advised that eyeglass lenses could be held in place with a ribbon passed over a person’s head, which in turn was held secure 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 maker Edward Scarlett. These designs were not at once prosperous, however, and assorted styles with attached handles like “scissors-glasses” and lorgnettes stayed fashionable throughout the eighteenth and into the early nineteenth century.
In the early twentieth century, Moritz von Rohr at Zeiss produced the Zeiss Punktal spherical point-focus lens system which dominated the eyeglass lens field for several years.
Despite the rising fame of contacts and laser restorative eye surgery, spectacles stay rather 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.
Most of these modern contraptions are also distinctly better able to resist the rigors of day-to-day wear and the periodic accident. Contemporary frames are also frequently constructed from solid, light-weight materials such as titanium alloys which were not available in earlier years.
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