The American gentleman of science, Ben Franklin, who endured both nearsightedness as well as presbyopia, invented bifocals in 1784 to obviate having to frequently switch betwixt 2 sets of eyeglasses.

The 1st lens pair intended for correcting astigmia were manufactured by the British astronomer George Airy within 1825.

Along the history of bifocal reading glasses, the development of pectacle frames also evolved. Early on glasses were contrived to be either kept in place with your hand or by maintaining force on the nose. Girolamo Savonarola advised that eyeglass lenses could be held in place with a ribbon placed over a person’s head, which in turn was fastened by the weight of a hat.

Entering modern bifocal history, the contemporary fashion of bifocal eyeglasses 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 made the Zeiss Punktal spherical point-focus lens system which dominated the eyeglass lens field for many years.

Despite the improving fame of contacts and laser restorative eye surgery, eyeglasses stay rather popular, as their engineering has continued to evolve. 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 designs are also distinctly better able to resist the rigors of day-to-day wear and tear as well as the occasional accident. Contemporary frames are also ofttimes made from robust, light-weight materials such as titanium alloys that weren’t obtainable in earlier days.

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