The American gentleman of science, Benjamin Franklin, who endured both nearsightedness as well as presbyopia, devised bifocal reading glasses in 1784 to obviate needing to often switch betwixt two sets of eyeglasses.

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

Along the history of reading bifocals, the development of pectacle frames also evolved. In early stages glasses were contrived to be either kept in place with your hand or by maintaining force on the bridge of the nose. Girolamo Savonarola advised that oculars could be held in place with a ribbon passed over a person’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 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 controlled the eyeglass lens field for many years.

Despite the rising fame of contacts and laser restorative eye surgery, spectacles stay rather common, 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 capable of resisting the rigors of day-to-day wear as well as the periodic accident. Modern frames are also ofttimes constructed from substantial, light-weight materials such as titanium alloys which were not obtainable in earlier times.