Developing Better Technology for Bifocal Glasses
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | Always Online
The American gentleman of science, Ben Franklin, who endured both myopia as well as presbyopia, invented bifocal reading glasses in 1784 to obviate having to frequently alternate betwixt 2 pairs of eyeglasses.
The original lens pair designed for correcting astigmia were manufactured by the British astronomer George Airy in 1825.
Along the history of benjamin franklin bifocals, the building of eyeglass frames also evolved. 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 advised that eyeglass lenses could be held in place with a ribbon passed over the subject’s head, which in turn was fastened by the weight of one’s hat.
Entering modern 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 assorted 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 produced 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 stay 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 modern contraptions are also distinctly better able to resist the stresses of day-to-day wear and the occasional accident. Contemporary frames are likewise ofttimes made from solid, light-weight materials such as titanium alloys which were not obtainable in earlier years.