Eyeglasses who invented

Early eyeglasses had glass lenses set into heavy frames of wood, lead or copper. Natural materials of leather, bone and horn were later used for production of frames. In the early seventeenth century, lighter frames of steel were invented. The modern style of eyeglasses frame, which could be placed over the ears and nose, was invented in by British optician Edward Scarlett. American scientist and philosopher Benjamin Franklin is credited with the invention of bifocals, dividing his lenses for distant and near vision.

Subsequently, the first glasses with biconvex lenses useful to enhance vision from a distance were designed. At that time, the eyeglasses were composed of two lenses assembled using a metal or leather outline and a rivet. In order to use them, the wearer had to hold them in front of their eyes.

In the s , the invention of the printing press made reading more accessible, which considerably increased the demand for glasses. By the s , the frames were made of luxurious materials, such as horns, leather and whalebones. They also used real tortoise shells, which is where the term tortoise pattern originated. Research was done to find ways that did not require one to hold their eyeglasses while using them, which resulted in models with nose clips.

A century later , the frames were fixed with a ribbon around the head or were affixed on a stick, which was then hidden under the wig or hat of the wearer. It was between and that the first eyeglasses with branches were invented, thanks to the British optician, Edward Scarlett.

Glass blowers would make lenses of different thickness based on rudimentary vision testing. As these glasses became more popular, the Italian creations spread throughout Europe, mostly available to the wealthy. Because scholarship was a prized attribute during the Renaissance, glasses were status symbols of intelligence and prosperity. The technology might have remained stagnant for several centuries, because the next clear historical picture of spectacles comes during the s.

Benjamin Franklin added to the versatility of glasses by inventing the bifocal lens, which allowed a person with both near and far-sighted affectation to use one pair of glasses instead of two. He did this at first by cutting lenses in half and putting them together into one frame. Some men did not enjoy wearing glasses full time, so these were the answer: pocket glasses that could be folded up on a hinge like a pair of scissors.

As the 19th century dawned, glasses were still handcrafted and not available to everyone. But the industrial revolution was right around the corner, and mass production of both frames and lenses made it much simpler for working men and women to obtain the necessary eye correction. The early s also saw the introduction of peculiar cylindrical lenses for correcting astigmatism.

These glasses, called reading aids, had a convex ground lens. The edge was made from iron, horn or wood. In general, the first glasses were used exclusively as visual aids to enable far-sighted individuals to read. Later, the first eyeglass frame temples were made by Spanish craftsmen in s. They affixed ribbons of silk or strings to the frame and looped them over the user's ears. The new types of eyeglasses were brought to China by Spanish and Italian missionaries.

Instead of making loops, the Chinese attached small metal weights to the strings.