Who Invented Bifocals, and What are bifocal spectacles? Have you ever squinted to see something long distance away?
Did you know? Squinting can hurt our eyes. The best way to see clearly is to use glasses.
But before using glasses, we are advised to check our eyes with the doctor first. This is to give the size of the glasses the right fit for our vision.
Speaking of glasses, since when was it used by humans to aid vision? And Who Invented Bifocals?
Glasses are the main function of course to aid vision. However, glasses can also be a supporting accessory of the face shape, so it also has a fashion function.
As a visual aid, glasses are initially worn when a person cannot see the focus on distant objects (myopia), close objects (hyperopia), or other disorders.
Obstacles then arise when one cannot see distant objects as well. This disorder led to the idea of developing glasses with two lenses. However, the technology at the time was not yet possible to combine the two lenses.
After years of research, this way was finally successfully developed and discovered 234 years ago, precisely March 23, 1784.
History of Glasses
No one knows who made the glasses first. However, experts know that the glasses were made in the 13th century.
Glasses appear around the same time in northern Italy and in China.
Glasses at the time were like magnifying glasses. And most of it isn’t even made of glass.
Instead, glasses used to be made with mineral quartz. That’s because most of the glass material at the time was not clear, so it wouldn’t be good to be made into glasses.
Glasses were first used by the Chinese. They make glasses from an oval-shaped lenses of a very large size. To be able to hold the glass, they use 3 ways. First, use two wires that are weighted and inserted into their ears. Second, the glass is tied to the hat they wear. And third, use hooks attached to their temples.
The manufacture and use of glasses continue to grow all the way to Europe. However, the Europeans made the first glasses in the form of only a magnifying glass held with one hand.
Who Invented Bifocals?
In 1784, Benjamin Franklin, an American scientist, discovered bifocal glasses that could be used for viewing both long and short distances.
Two centuries ago, Benjamin Franklin took two pairs of glasses, a pair of short-sighted lenses and another pair of farsightedness, and cut each into two parts horizontally. Then, using a single frame of glasses, he combines the top cut of the shortsighted lens close to the bottom cut of the farsightedness lens, thus being the first pair of bifocal glass lenses.
Today, cutting-edge technology enables bifocal lenses to be made from just one lens, which has different curves and thicknesses at the top and bottom. And, there are even bifocal contact lenses. But, did you know that long before science in optics developed bifocal lenses, a mysterious freshwater fish had worn the ‘most advanced’ bifocal single lens?
Nowadays, glasses are part of the lifestyle. Many people use glasses for various purposes such as a beach holiday, coming to an outdoor event, even to make the appearance even more attractive.
What are bifocal spectacles?
Bifocal spectacles are 2 focus glasses that are long and near distances to wear.
Bifocal spectacles can also be interpreted as glasses that use positive and negative lenses combined.
Bifocal glasses are glasses that can be used to close and long-distance viewing. This is the type of glasses that is now used by people in the world.
As the name suggests, at first the glasses are made of a glass or mirror to aid vision. But now, the average glasses are made of plastic so that it is not easily broken and damaged.
Even adding style from the user, the frame of the glasses already has an assortment of colors and shapes.
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Thank you very much for reading Histroey of glasses, Who Invented Bifocals, and What are bifocal spectacles? Hopefully useful.
